(From CLN) Colonial Downs opened its sixteenth season of
racing Saturday afternoon with a combined day of tailgating, steeplechase
racing and thoroughbred racing. In all, there were five jump races, four flat
events on turf and another trio on dirt.
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| VIA GALILEI (Coady Photography) |
Via Galilei captured the 16th running of the $50,000 Zeke
Ferguson Memorial (NSA-Gr. III), featured race of the card. Content to let All
Together control the field throughout most of the race, Via Galilei stayed
within easy striking distance before making his move at the top of the
stretch.
The seven-year-old Galilei gelding swung by All Together and
after opening up by three lengths in deep stretch, All Together appeared ready
to rally late from the inside. The eventual winner though held off the
challenge, and pressed on to cross in 4:08.37, 6 ¾ lengths over fast closing
Gustavian, who nipped All Together for third.
The winner, making just his third U.S. start, is trained by
Joseph Delozier, III for 2011 leading owner Irvin Naylor. “I was pretty
confident heading into this race,” said Delozier. “He was also using blinkers
for the first time and it seemed to really help focus him.”
“There wasn’t much pace to the race,“ added winning rider
Ross Geraghty. “I stayed close in second because there was nowhere to go and
didn’t see any advantage to moving up that early.”
Geraghty had a nice afternoon competing in all five jump
races. He had another win atop Corsican Boy in the season’s first race, then
added a pair of thirds and a fourth.
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