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Listenupshance held on by a short nose to win Saturday’s Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar, earning an expenses-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland. The result was tempered by a concerning incident involving 6-5 favorite Cornucopian, who was pulled up around the far turn and vanned off the track.
According to Dr. Jeff Blea, Cornucopian “was taken to the hospital for radiographs and evaluation by the veterinarians. Currently the horse is comfortable and in stable condition awaiting a treatment plan.”
Listenupshance, a 4-year-old gelding by Shancelot out of the Hard Spun mare Listenupnow, covered six furlongs on a fast main track in 1:11.38. Maximum Bourbon finished second, with Moonlight third. They were followed by Mad House, Dr. Venkman, Stronghold, and Gold Sweep.
The winner went off at 5-1 and gave jockey Emisael Jaramillo his first Grade 1 victory in the United States. It was also the first Grade 1 win for co-owner Run Fast Racing.
Jaramillo said the race did not unfold exactly as planned.
“My plan was to break in front, but that didn’t happen,” he said. “So I followed the 8 horse and waited for my chance. He made the lead for me at the half, then we went on from there. He just had enough at the finish.”
Trainer Doug O’Neill credited the horse’s determination after a demanding pace that included fractions of 21.88 and 44.88.
“Emisael did such a great job,” O’Neill said. “I just knew this horse was a warrior. I knew if he was anywhere near at the head of the lane he’d be near at the wire.”
The Bing Crosby is one of Del Mar’s key sprint races, and this year’s edition now carries two immediate follow-ups for racing fans to watch: whether Listenupshance moves on to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland, and what further veterinary updates emerge on Cornucopian.
Listenupshance was bred in Kentucky by Al and Michelle Crawford Racing and was purchased for $10,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Fall Yearling sale. With the victory, he improved his overall record to 4-3-3 and boosted his career earnings to $438,570.
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Source: As reported by sports.yahoo.com.
