El Real Madrid returned to racing at the Randall “Doc” James racetrack on Sunday with a decisive victory in the seven-and-a-half furlong featured seventh race of the day.
Whatever ailments affected him in his last two losing races appeared to be a thing of the past as he negotiated the distance in a near record time of 1:30.1, two-fifths of a second off the track record.
El Real Madrid settled just off the pace in the early stages of the race, allowing Puerto Rican Emblem and Eire’s Run to set the early pace.
Temo’s Dream hung in the gate and badly missed the break. He was five lengths back by the time the field past the grandstand for the first time, never really recovered, and was basically out of this race.
Puerto Rican Emblem took the field into the backstretch followed closely by Eire’s Run. At about the four-furlong mark, jockey Jesus Guadelupe asked El Real Madrid for more, and the Chesnut gelding began his run and moved up quickly to engage the frontrunners.
As the field approached the three-eighths pole, El Real Madrid ran by a fading Eire’s Run but was getting a challenge from Puerto Rican Emblem with apprentice jockey Edwin Gonzalez in the irons.
They ran around the far turn as one, but at the top of the stretch El Real Madrid took the lead and began to slowly draw away as they ran down the home stretch.
He pulled away to win by three lengths at the wire, and one fan could be heard shouting in excitement, “The Real El Real Madrid is Back!”
The eight race was also exciting in that Cherokee Law, who finished dead last in his previous two races, exploded out of the gates and never looked back as he toyed with the five-horse field, wiring them in a not-too-shabby time of 1:31 for the seven-and-a-half furlong distance in a hand ride by jockey Juan Santiago.
Walk the Catwalk and jockey Elmo Barnes mounted somewhat of a challenge at the top of the stretch, drawing even at one time with the winner, but could not get by.
At mid-stretch Santiago shook the reins, and Cherokee Law drew away to win by two lengths at the wire. Big Thunder Reflec was a distant third.
The rest of the day’s results:
Race 1 5F Classes N-5&N-6 Jockey
Time: 1:01
1. Midnight Indictment, Jesus Guadelupe
2. Kings of Kings, Elmo Barnes
3. Turnbull Delight, Winston Hurst
Race 2 5 F Classes N-3, 4 & 5, Jockey
Time: 1:01
1. Irie Ites, Christian Soto, Jr.
2. Creation Rebel, Juan Santiago
3. Express to Cali, Winston Hurst
Race 3 6 F Class I-5, Jockey
Time: 1:12
1. Russian Way, Edwin Gonzalez
2. Black Machine, Myris Rivera
3. ITSMIDAS, Christian Soto, Jr.
Race 4 1 M Classes I-4 & I-5 (M/F), Jockey
Time: 1:27.5
1. YIMC Sword, Edwin Gonzalez
2. Apron’s Dance, Steven Powell
3. Cool Light, Myris Rivera
Race 5 7 F Classes I-3 & I-4, Jockey
Time: 1:25.3
1. Halo Bordeaux, Christian Soto, Jr.
2. Full House Project, Edwin Gonzalez
3. Ala Cat, Alphonso Claudio
Race 6 7 F Classes I-1, I-2& I-3 M/F, Jockey
Time: 1:25.4
1. Finish in Style, Miguel Sanchez
2. Bold Cleo, Winston Hurst
3. Leggy Blond, Juan Santiago
