Long Range Toddy Hangs On in Remington Springboard Mile
December 17th, 2018
In a race packed with traffic-filled trips, big middle moves, and dramatic late rallies, Long Range Toddy managed to defy the overall race trends and emerge victorious in the $400,000 Remington Springboard Mile on December 16th at Remington Park.
One of five horses representing trainer Steve Asmussen (who sent out nearly half the field), Long Range Toddy’s tactical speed allowed him to secure a perfect position early on in the one-mile test, settling a length off the pace while outside in third place through fractions of :24.13, :48.76, and 1:14.01. He never encountered any traffic, he had no reason to make a big mid-race move, and he was never far enough off the pace to warrant a late rally.
Instead, Long Range Toddy used his increasingly obvious talent to keep things simple. With Richard Eramia in the saddle, the son of Take Charge Indy waited while Dunph made an arguably premature mid-race move, waited while race favorite Epic Dreamer stayed buried in traffic along the inside, and waited as the front-running pair of Dobbins G and Marquee Prince slowly began to tire from their early exertions.
Finally, in the homestretch, Long Range Toddy made his move, rolling past Dunph (who was growing leg-weary) to seize command of the lead. It looked like a winning bid, and ultimately it was, but Long Range Toddy still had to dig deep to stem off a huge late run from his stablemate Bankit, who was gobbling up ground after being last of eleven with a quarter-mile remaining. The finish wound up being surprisingly close, but Long Range Toddy held on to win by a head in 1:39.75 seconds, while Dunph settled for third place over another deep closer, Tone Broke.
Bred and owned by Willis Horton Racing, Long Range Toddy picked up 10 qualifications points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and boosted his career earnings to a hefty $321,125. The Springboard Mile marked his third straight victory and his second straight stakes triumph, following a score in the seven-furlong Clever Trevor Stakes at Remington Park last month.
“He’s a beautiful colt,” Asmussen told Remington Park after the race, “a home-bred of Mr. Horton’s. It was a nice win and I’m proud of him and Bankit, who ran second.”
Epic Dreamer, favored at 1.20-1 after breaking his maiden impressively at Belmont Park, saved ground early on under jockey Javier Castellano, but after shifting outside in search of racing room in the homestretch, he was bumped by Bankit and forced to steady, after which he failed to produce a rally and retreated to finish sixth.
Instead, Long Range Toddy used his increasingly obvious talent to keep things simple. With Richard Eramia in the saddle, the son of Take Charge Indy waited while Dunph made an arguably premature mid-race move, waited while race favorite Epic Dreamer stayed buried in traffic along the inside, and waited as the front-running pair of Dobbins G and Marquee Prince slowly began to tire from their early exertions.
Finally, in the homestretch, Long Range Toddy made his move, rolling past Dunph (who was growing leg-weary) to seize command of the lead. It looked like a winning bid, and ultimately it was, but Long Range Toddy still had to dig deep to stem off a huge late run from his stablemate Bankit, who was gobbling up ground after being last of eleven with a quarter-mile remaining. The finish wound up being surprisingly close, but Long Range Toddy held on to win by a head in 1:39.75 seconds, while Dunph settled for third place over another deep closer, Tone Broke.
Bred and owned by Willis Horton Racing, Long Range Toddy picked up 10 qualifications points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and boosted his career earnings to a hefty $321,125. The Springboard Mile marked his third straight victory and his second straight stakes triumph, following a score in the seven-furlong Clever Trevor Stakes at Remington Park last month.
“He’s a beautiful colt,” Asmussen told Remington Park after the race, “a home-bred of Mr. Horton’s. It was a nice win and I’m proud of him and Bankit, who ran second.”
Epic Dreamer, favored at 1.20-1 after breaking his maiden impressively at Belmont Park, saved ground early on under jockey Javier Castellano, but after shifting outside in search of racing room in the homestretch, he was bumped by Bankit and forced to steady, after which he failed to produce a rally and retreated to finish sixth.
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