Andrew and Rania Warren's Raise Cain (Violence) came rolling down the muddy, sealed stretch at 23-1 to upset an eventful renewal of Saturday's GIII Gotham S. at the Big A.
California invader Carmel Road (Quality Road) set a pressured pace heading into the far turn as the riderless and previously unbeaten Howgreatisnate (Speightster) made for some tense moments leading the big field of 14 after stumbling and tossing jockey J. D. Acosta at the start.
Raise Cain, meanwhile, raced toward the rear through fast fractions of :22.52 and :45.53, and somehow worked his way to the rail from a high draw. He was checked and altered course to the outside as he began to roll leaving the quarter pole and exploded down the center of the stretch beneath Jose Lezcano to win as much the best while matching strides late with the aforementioned loose horse. It was 7 1/2 lengths back to Slip Mahoney (Arrogate) in second. Longshot General Banker (Central Banker) was third.
Raise Cain picks up 50 GI Kentucky Derby qualifying points for the victory.
Raise Cain, a sharp winner at second asking at Keeneland Oct. 9, took on stakes company in his next three attempts. He finished third in the Bowman Mill S. at Keeneland Oct. 29, second in the Gun Runner S. trying two turns for the first time at Fair Grounds Dec. 26 and fifth over the all-weather in Turfway's Leonatus S. last time Jan. 21.
“He finally had some pace to run into, and I think that's what he's been missing to be honest,” winning trainer Ben Colebrook said. “He never really had any pace to close into except in his maiden win. I don't know that it's necessarily one turn that he needs, but I definitely think pace to close into is what he needs because he's such a relaxed horse and he can make that one big run like he did today. More credit goes to Jose [Lezcano] for the ride. It was just a phenomenal ride.
He continued, “He's bred to go longer and if he were to go on to the Derby, you usually get plenty of pace in there. I think more than anything pace is what he needs. He's never run a bad race. We're nominated to the Blue Grass [at Keeneland] and we'll nominate to the Wood Memorial. It'll probably be one of those two races and we'll see how it plays out and go to whichever race looks like the best option.”
Pedigree Notes:
It's an embarrassment of riches for Hill 'n' Dale sire Violence on this year's Kentucky Derby trail, as Raise Cain joins Violence's champion Forte on the narrowing path to the first Saturday in May. Forte added Gulfstream's GII Fountain of Youth S. to his CV less than an hour after Raise Cain's Gotham victory Saturday. With the addition of Raise Cain, Violence makes it 31 black-type winners and nine graded winners for his Northern Hemisphere-breds. Raise Cain is also one of 92 stakes winners as a broodmare sire for Lane's End pensioner Lemon Drop Kid.
The 13-year-old Lemon Belle is out of 2001 GII Lady's Secret Breeders' Cup winner Queenie Belle, making her a half-sister to 2010 GI Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic winner and $3.8-million Keeneland November broodmare Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled's Song), also dam of two-time champion Unique Bella (Tapit). The family traces tail-female to extraordinary English turn-of-the-century racemare Pretty Polly (GB) (Gallinule {GB}), who later turned into an influential broodmare through her daughters.
Raise Cain is Lemon Belle's first stakes winner. She also has a 2-year-old colt by Frosted, who hammered for $12,000 to Laura Kelton at last year's Keeneland September sale, and delivered a Constitution colt Feb. 21. Her most recent trip through the sales ring was at the 2018 Keeneland November sale, where she brought $285,000 from Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds–Raise Cain's breeder–while carrying a full-brother to Raise Cain, since named Nasty Habit and who remains unraced.
Saturday, Aqueduct Racetrack
GOTHAM S.-GIII, $300,000, Aqueduct, 3-4, 3yo, 1m, 1:38.09, my.
1–RAISE CAIN, 118, c, 3, by Violence
1st Dam: Lemon Belle, by Lemon Drop Kid
2nd Dam: Queenie Belle, by Bertrando
3rd Dam: Lady Argyle, by Don B.
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($180,000
Ylg '21 KEESEP; $65,000 RNA 2yo '22 OBSOPN). O-Warren,
Andrew N. and Warren, Rania; B-Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds,
LLC (KY); T-Ben Colebrook; J-Jose Lezcano. $165,000. Lifetime
Record: 6-2-1-1, $268,578. Click for the free Equineline.com
catalog-style pedigree.
2–Slip Mahoney, 118, c, 3, Arrogate–Got Lucky, by A.P. Indy.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($150,000 Ylg '21
KEESEP). O-Gold Square LLC; B-Hill 'N' Dale Equine Holdings,
Inc. & Philip J. Steinberg (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $60,000.
3–General Banker, 118, c, 3, Central Banker–Elusive Jozi, by
Johannesburg. O-Seacoast Thoroughbreds of N. E.; B-Seacoast
Thoroughbreds of New England (NY); T-James W. Ferraro.
$36,000.
Margins: 7HF, 1HF, NO. Odds: 23.50, 6.20, 30.00.
Also Ran: Eyeing Clover, Clear the Air, Mr. Swagger, Lugan Knight, Carmel Road, Radio Red, Transect, Recruiter, Uncorrelated, Clubhouse, Howgreatisnate. Scratched: Fort Warren. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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