Coastal Mission was a win machine in West Virginia for Charles City-based proprietor/coach Jeff Runco for the primary three years of his racing profession, with the gelding notching 10 of his first 11 victories within the state of his beginning.
Since December, Coastal Misson has primarily been taken on the highway to different tracks within the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, not with the identical degree of dominance, however with success. A stakes winner at Laurel Park in April and once more in his most up-to-date begin in September at Parx Racing in Pennsylvania, Coastal Mission is now even a graded stakes winner in New York. Racing Oct. 26 within the $250,000 Forty Niner Stakes (G3) through the Belmont on the Large A meet, he notched his first victory on the graded degree whereas additionally vaulting previous $1 million in earnings.
Along with his West Virginia-based jockey Arnaldo Bocachica coming to Aqueduct Racetrack for the mount, the victorious grey and/or roan settled in sixth for the primary half-mile of the one-mile Forty Niner earlier than kicking into gear with a large rally over the race’s solely flip. Third coming into the stretch, he collared pacesetting Nelson Avenue with a few furlong remaining and outfinished him for size victory.
He raced a mile in 1:36.10 following splits of :22.86, :45.70, and 1:10.51 set by runner-up Nelson Avenue. Coastal Mission paid $11 to win.
“He’s the perfect horse that I’ve ever rode,” mentioned Bocachica. “He is taken me on a pleasant trip; I have been totally different locations, and he at all times tries laborious. He’s particular to me, this horse.”
One other grey, Winit , rallied to point out, forward of Repo Rocks in fourth. The latter was caught inside in site visitors on the flip and early stretch and supplied an excellent end as soon as a gap materialized.
Favored Jefferson Road ran fifth, and second favourite Messier was pulled up late within the race whereas bleeding from the nostrils. He was transported off the observe in an equine ambulance.
Not one of the opponents raced with the diuretic Lasix underneath guidelines for stakes races.
Coastal Mission, bred by Coleswood Farm out of the Crowd Pleaser mare Good Crowd, is a son of main Maryland stallion Nice Notion , who stood for $7,500 at Northview Stallion Station this previous breeding season. Nice Notion is additional represented by graded stakes winner Future Is Now this yr.
Runco mentioned a begin within the Dec. 7 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) is deliberate for Coastal Mission. The gelding ran fifth within the race final yr when breaking from the within publish.
“He’ll be going into this race a lot better than he did final yr when he had quite a lot of time between races and missed a pair exercises,” his coach mentioned.
Video: Forty Niner S. (G3)
Runninsonofagun Earns Second Daring Ruler By way of Disqualification
Winless since capturing the 2022 Daring Ruler Stakes (G3) as a 3-year-old, the now 5-year-old Runninsonofagun took his image on this yr’s version after taking the Saturday occasion through disqualification for coach John Toscano Jr.
Runninsonofagun (exterior) wins after the disqualification of My Buddy B within the Daring Ruler Stakes
The $175,000 Daring Ruler marked Runninsonofagun’s return to the stakes degree after the gelding had made a number of begins in allowance firm. Despatched to publish because the second-longest shot on the board at 16-1, the son of Gun Runner put his finest foot ahead when it counted most.
Laying properly off the tempo underneath jockey Joel Rosario, Runninsonofagun picked his means in between horses as a daring My Buddy B seized command with a three-wide transfer after a half-mile run in :45.73. Switched to the surface, Runninsonofagun was resilient down the lane, heading My Buddy B and persevering with to shut as that rival bore out badly into him down the lane. My Buddy B prevailed by a nostril underneath the wire however upon evaluate of the race, Runningsonofagun ($34) was declared the official race winner.
My Buddy B was positioned in second forward of third-place getter Twenty 4 Mamba .
The time for the six furlongs was 1:09.42 on a quick essential observe.
“He was injured and I needed to lay him up. It took him some time to get again into gear,” Toscano mentioned. “His first couple of begins he was a bit flat, however he progressed and bought higher and higher. Hopefully, he is now again the place he was.”
Owned by Karen Zimmerman, Runninsonofagun improved his bankroll to $567,865 together with his second stakes victory.
