Everyone Vainly Chases Artie in Palisades Turf Sprint

LEXINGTON, KY – Everyone else found themselves vainly chasing Ken and Sarah Ramsey homebred Chasing Artie, who rallied from last with an explosive kick to win Friday’s $100,000 Palisades Turf Sprint Stakes at Keeneland.

Chasing Artie hopped when the gates flew open and spotted the field a head start before exiting post 3 under Joel Rosario as the 4/1 third choice and trailing the field. Lock Up was quickest into stride and posted opening fractions of :21.76 and :45.36 before being overtaken at the top of the stretch.

Fauci bulled his way between rivals to take the lead halfway home and looked momentarily like a sure winner as the 8/5 favorite, but Chasing Artie was flying with a flurry in the stretch and collared his Wesley Ward stablemate near the 1/16 pole before drawing away to win the 5 1/2-furlong good turf sprint by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:03.46.

“He just moved a little in the gate and missed the break, but he came back with a strong run in the end,” Rosario said.

Fauci finished second for the third straight race (al stakes) and for the fourth time in 5 starts when he crossed 2 lengths clear of Unitedandresolute.

Blameworthy, Lookin for Loki, Bodenheimer, J C’s Champ, Lock Up, and Smokin’ Jay completed the order of finish. Rustler scratched from the field restricted to 3-year-olds.

Chasing Artie’s win was his second straight following a gate-to-wire 5-furlong Gulfstream Park turf sprint score against maidens. The We Miss Artie gelding improved his record to 4-2-1-0 with $87,000 earned.

“I was watching both my horses – they ran great,” Ward said. “It almost set up for (Chasing Artie) because that (slow start) happened. Joel said once that happened, he took him back a little further, hoping that the pace went fast up front. It did. He wheeled him and we saw another dimension of running style.”

Chasing Artie returned $10.20 to win, $4.80 to place, and $3.60 to show. Fauci brought back $3.20 to place and $2.60 to show. Unitedandresolute paid $5.60 to show.