Apriority Seeks First Graded Stakes Win
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Apriority made his presence known at the beginning of the year finishing second to Amazombie in the Sunshine Millions Sprint. Before that second place finish, the Grand Slam colt had required six attempts to break his maiden. Once he finally scored his first win, he reeled off three straight victories including his maiden. Amazombie’s win and Apriority’s place propelled them both out of relative obscurity and into the big leagues, but they have taken different routes since then. Since January, Amazombie has scored a Grade 2, a non-graded stakes, and two Grade 1 stakes victories. Apriority, on the other hand, only managed to win an allowance optional claiming event while finishing 2nd in the G1 Carter Handicap and the G2 Churchill Downs Stakes. In his last three races, however, he finished completely off the board.
This Saturday, Apriority is back for his first race since finishing 6th in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint. After facing the nation’s top sprinters all year, trainer David Fawkes is backing his charge down to the G3 Mr. Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Though he is stepping back in level, the field he faces is anything but weak. His six rivals for the New Year’s Eve race are:
1.Apriority—4/C—L. Saez—D. Fawkes—118
4.Indiano—3/C—J. Castellano—M. Wolfson—120
6.The Hunk—4/C—E. Trujillo—B. Perkins, Jr.—118
Zero Rate Policy, Immortal Eyes, and Nathan’s H Q are all non-graded stakes winners and The Hunk is an allowance winner, but Indiano is a G2 winner while Capt. Candyman Can is a G1 winner. Capt. Candyman Can captured the G1 King’s Bishop Stakes as a three-year old but finished 8th in the 2009 edition of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. After his disappointing performance in the Sprint, the Candy Ride gelding was out for 15 months due to an injury. His return in the Super Stakes back in February showed that his layoff did not hinder his winning ways, but his return to graded company has not been as successful. The bay gelding finished 4th in the G2 Churchill Downs Stakes, less than a length behind Apriority, and 3rd in the G3 Aristides Stakes. A seasoned runner familiar with winning, Capt. Candyman Can will make Apriority’s job on Saturday anything but easy.
Apriority’s last three races saw him tire, fail to contend after being bumped, and fail to respond in the stretch. If he is to capture his first graded stakes win, then he is going to need to recapture his form from earlier in the season. His three second place finishes were to three very good competitors: Amazombie, Morning Line, and Aikenite. The only competitor close to that level in Saturday’s field is Capt. Candyman Can, and Apriority has already beaten him. That is not to say that the race is Apriority’s to lose because he will have to be at his very best to repeat the effort against the Candy Ride gelding for a second time. The Grand Slam colt has the talent to win the Mr. Prospector Stakes, but only Saturday will tell if he is the winner we all think he can be.
What the Nation is saying about Apriority Seeks First Graded Stakes Win...
Tough win for a deserving horse!
I'm rather surprised that it took this long for him to get a graded win, but I'm happy he finally got it. Hopefully he will continue to improve from here.
I have always been fond of Apriority. Nice to see him make the grade.
I knew he could do it. And in style, too!
I'm giving him another chance, too. Hopefully it pays off.
I hope he gets it, too, because I really think I'm going to give this fast horse another chance.
Meet Ashley Tamulonis
Growing up, I cannot remember a time when I did not love horses. I also loved reading, so it was only a matter of time before my two obsessions combined into one; I have my mom to thank for that one. Knowing how much I loved horses, when she stumbled upon the book Ashleigh’s Diary by Joanna Campbell, she bought it and brought it home to me. After reading the book, I was hooked. Though horse racing was not mentioned in that book, which was a super edition chronicling events that happened before the main character and her family became involved in the sport, it was what the series was all about. Additionally, thanks to the series, I actually wanted to become a jockey.
The Thoroughbred book series kick started what would become a lifelong passion. Unfortunately, Georgia is not exactly big on horse racing, so I have never actually been to a live race. However, I watched every race that was shown on TV; and now, as an adult, I follow the races closer than ever, handicapping, betting on, and blogging about them.
I am in the process of earning my B.A. in History at Macon State College, in Macon, Georgia. Along with reading, I have always loved writing. Once I was done with the bulk of my college career and had the time to write for pleasure, I started my own blog, Wired with Ashley Paige, which you can read here. When I was offered the chance to write for Horse Racing Nation, I jumped at the chance. Though I did not pursue a journalism degree in college, I would love nothing more than to pursue a career in writing, especially if it means I can combine my love of writing with my passion for horse racing.