Idle since Aug. 21, the Phil D'Amato-trained Count Again was ready for action on Saturday at Santa Anita, as he stormed home through the lane to take the Grade 3, $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes. Ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat, the 7-year-old gelding by Awesome Again got one mile on turf in 1:34.12.
With longshot Sniper Kitten showing the way to the far turn, Count Again was next to last in a field of six older horses, about four lengths off the lead heading into the far turn. Heavily favored Subconscious took control at the top of the lane while Count Again was on the move, while fourth and three-wide. In a ferocious stretch rally he inhaled the leaders late to win easily.
“The (time off) did him a ton of good,” said D'Amato. “He told me in his last race at Del Mar (a fifth place finish in the G2 Del Mar Mile), 'Hey, I've had a long campaign, maybe it's time to give me a freshener.' And we did that. The owners have been great. Sam-Son Farms, Mark Martinez of Agave Racing, they just told me to give him all the time he needs, and we brought him back fresh and happy.
“I think Flavien got acquainted with him, breezing him the last couple of times and I think that helped him with his timing. He's a horse that just takes him a while to get in gear, but once he does, he's got a pretty impressive late turn of foot.”
A Grade 2 winner in his first start for D'Amato six races back on Nov. 28, 2020, Count Again, who is out of the Red Ransom mare Count to Three and was bred in Ontario, Canada by Sam-Son Farm, was off at 5-2 and paid and paid $7.60, $2.80 and $2.40.
“I've been on this horse a few times in the morning, so I got to know him,” said Prat, who notched his meet-leading 10th stakes victory. “We had a good trip and he put me in the race. He was traveling super all the way around there and when I asked him to run, he gave me a good kick.”
A Grade 3 winner at Woodbine in Toronto, Count Again is now a three-time graded stakes winner and is 14-5-1-4 overall. With the winner's share of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $463,665.
The 3-5 favorite with Juan Hernandez, Subconscious appeared to be in control approaching the furlong pole, but he was no match for the winner close home while finishing three lengths in front of Ready Soul. Idle since Nov. 27, Subconscious returned $2.20 and $2.10.
Ready Soul, who is also trained by D'Amato, was off at 7-1 with John Velazquez and paid $2.60 to show.
Fractions on the race were 23.32, 47.41, 1:11.16 and 1:22.65.
