Icabad Crane Puts the Seal on 2010 with Alex M. Robb Victory

by Sarah Mace

Earle I. Mack’s Icabad Crane – competitive all year for trainer Graham Motion, but still with only a single win in 2010 – stepped it up a notch a day before his official sixth birthday to capture Saturday’s traditional Aqueduct’s New Year’s Eve feature, the $65,000 Alex M. Robb stakes.

Before Icabad Crane’s first win of 2010 – Aqueduct’s 1 1/8-mile Kings Point Handicap on March 20 – the gelded son of Jump Start had endured an 11-race win drought. In five starts since then, although he flirted with another victory, he had not managed to get his picture taken. His efforts include three place-finishes in the tough division of three and up New York-bred male routers: a neck behind Giant Moon in the Evan Shipman Stakes at Saratoga, a second to the redoubtable Friend Or Foe in the Empire Classic at Belmont, and runner up by a nose to Ruffino the Tinchen’s Prince on November 25 at Aqueduct.

Going to the post the for the third straight time under Rajiv Maragh, Icabad Crane had strong support from the wagering public for the 1 1/16-mile contest, bet down by post time to even money favoritism. The Bromans’ Mine Over Matter, the only sophomore in the field, and Giant Moon were second and third choice at 3-to-1, and the speedy 2009 Rough Rogue Stakes-winner Manteca was fourth choice in the field of six at 5-to-1.

Breaking from post three, Icabad Crane, in his typical closer’s fashion, settled at the back of the field, leaving Pletcher-trained Manteca to show the way under David Cohen, tracked by Ruffino and Spa City Fever through moderate early fractions of 24.34 and 48.87. Just as the field was completing the first half-mile, Icabad Crane moved up three spots in between horses to run fourth at the rail behind Manteca, Ruffino and Spa City Fever. With a savvy move by Maragh, Icabad Crane then squeezed through a gap at the rail to the inside of Ruffino in upper stretch. In the final sixteenth, the pair moved to outside and charged to overhaul Manteca and get the win by a half length. Mine Over Matter, who had raced fifth until late stretch came on to get the show. After three-quarters of a mile in 1:13.75, the final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:44.48. Completing the order of finish were Giant Moon, Spa City Fever and Ruffino. Stud Muffin and Writingonthewall were scratched. [VIDEO[2]]

Adrian Rolls, assistant to trainer Graham Motion, praised his jockey’s timing: “Rajiv [Maragh] gets along with him very well. When he gets the lead, he kind of wants to stop a bit, so timing is the thing. He’s been so consistent for so long.” Maragh also indicated that strategy was key: “The pace was slow, and when he gave me the indication that he wanted to go, I wasn’t going to tell him no. I kind of just let him run his own pace. Once they went slow, he got in better contention and I always felt like I had horse. He’s definitely more effective running at horses, so it was good that [Manteca] was giving him a little fight today – it made him more aggressive.”

With his third career stakes victory Icabad Crane improved his record to 5-6-7 from 22 starts with $450,895 in purse earnings. As to Icabad Crane’s future plans, Rolls was relatively non-committal, except to note the gelding’s affinity for the Aqueduct inner track (where his record now stands at 3-2-3 from eight starts): “We’ll see how he comes out of this race before deciding what’s next for him. We’ll probably look for something up here because he seems to like it so well.”

A third generation product of Marlene Brody’s Gallagher’s Stud[3], Icabad Crane is out of Adorahy by Rahy. He first sold publicly as a 2006 Preferred Saratoga Yearling for $65,000 to Crupi’s New Castle Farm and then at two to ARC Bloodstock (agent for Earle I. Mack) at OBS Calder for $110,000. Adorahy has produced five winners from six foals to start including stakes-winning New York-bred Our Golden Dream by Medaglia d’Oro. Her foals have earned $746,515 to date. Adorahy’s two-year-old colt, Stephen’s Revenge by Stephen Got Even, has placed. She also has a yearling colt by Corinthian (sold to Earle I. Mack, for $120,000 at this year’s Keeneland September Yearling sale), a weanling filly  by Bernstein, and was bred to Tapit in 2010.

Adorahy’s dam, Adorable Micol by Riverman out of Turn to Me was a graded winner in the U.S., stakes winner in France, New York Champion Turf Female, and New York Champion Broodmare. She produced stakes-winner and Grade 1 stakes-placed Adorydar (Alydar) and graded stakes-winner and sire Adcat by Storm Cat.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2010/12/31/icabad-crane-alex-m-robb/

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