Rapid Redux Does Not Have Class of Zenyatta, But Twenty Straight Still Quite a Feat

The five-year-old gelding Rapid Redux made it twenty straight victories on Monday night at Mountaineer Park, beating three overmatched foes to pass Zenyatta and Peppers Pride on the all-time consecutive win list in modern times.

The gelding does not seem to be getting much respect from many horseplayers despite the incredible consistency the gelding has shown since being claimed by his current connections, trainer David Wells and owner Robert Cole.

Perhaps beating mostly starter allowance foes over the course of the past year does not get the pulse racing for some fans.

After all, Zenyatta did most of her running in graded stakes company for the exception of her maiden score and a first level allowance race in her second career start.

Peppers Pride was perfect in all 19 of her career starts spanning from July of 2005 until her final start in December of 2008.

She won 14 stakes races during her career, but she never left New Mexico bred company.

Now Rapid Redux comes along and surpasses both, but never faced stakes company and his streak includes wins for an $8,000 and $10,000 tag.

Can the gelding really be mentioned along with the incredibly popular Zenyatta?

The mare captured the attention of the nation and beat the boys in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), with her lone loss coming in trying to defend her title, coming up a tough head short to Blame.

Obviously on class alone, there is no comparison.

However, no matter how you slice it, winning twenty consecutive races is an incredible feat.

As a horse owner for nearly a decade, running mostly horses in lower claiming and starter allowance, I cannot remember one of our horses ever winning more than two races in a row.

How often do we open a Daily Racing Form and see a runner that has put together a four or five race win streak?

Getting to double digits wins is incredibly rare, and for a horse to be good, consistent, and lucky enough to string together twenty in a row is something we may see again in our lifetime.

Some of the naysayers could be silenced if the gelding takes a trip to the Claiming Crown, which is being held for the first time this year at Fair Grounds on Dec. 3.

The gelding was entered in the $50,000 Iron Horse, which is for three-year-olds and up that have started for a claiming price of $7,500 or less.

That race is likely to draw a large and competitive field and would be a good test for the gelding.

His owner Robert Cole said the gelding has about a 50% chance of making the trip to Fair Grounds, and the connections will be looking through the conditions books at Mountaineer Park, Charles Town, and Laurel Park for another suitable race or two before the end of the year.

The gelding will lose most of his starter allowance conditions at the end of the calendar year, which will make finding easy spots much more difficult.

I am hoping the connections do not take the easy way out, or perhaps have a racing secretary in the area write another starter allowance race for the gelding.

A trip to New Orleans for the Claiming Crown is what the gelding and his growing fan base deserve.

Rapid Redux Wins No. 20

Give Thanks for Thursday Racing
Thanksgiving is a time for eating, watching football, and playing the ponies.

We have a full slate of action on Thursday, with the $75,000 Thanksgiving Handicap the opening day feature as Fair Grounds opens its doors for the 2011-2012 meeting.

The marquee event at Churchill Downs on Thursday is the $175,000 Falls City Handicap (G2) which drew a field of ten fillies and mares who will go nine furlongs on the main track.

And the jockeys getting a leg up in the Big A’s featured race can get an early start on Thanksgiving dinner, as a field of ten were entered in the $100,000 Fall Highweight (G3).

The highweight in the field is the Todd Pletcher trained Calibrachoa, who will tote 135 pounds including jockey John Velazquez if he starts.

Pletcher entered Calibrachoa and entrymate Caixa Eletronica in Saturday’s $250,000 Cigar Mile (G1) and indicated both likely would go in that race.

That would leave Driven by Success as the lone part of the entry, but the gelding just ran on Nov. 20, and it looks as if Pletcher may end up scratching all three parts of the Mike Repole owned entry on Thursday.

Michael Dempsey provides his full card report for Aqueduct each racing day. Mike’s full card report includes his selections, analysis, fair odds line, and wagering recommendations. Mike’s Best Plays Report is available each weekend, with his strongest plays and selections including the top stakes races.