Old Tavern Farm’s homebred Hit the Post cruises to victory in the Ontario County Stakes Monday at Finger Lakes. SV Photography.
Old Tavern Farm’s homebred Hit the Post, second in back-to-back stakes going two turns, shortened up Monday and delivered as the heavy favorite in the $50,000 Ontario County Stakes at Finger Lakes.
Hit the Post didn’t provide his connections or backers – who hammered the son of Kantharos down to 1-9 in the field of four – with any anxious moments aside from a slightly slow start in the 6-furlong Ontario County. Under Christopher Elliott, Hit the Post recovered from that start and took command over his three foes up the backstretch.
Hit the Post clicked off an opening quarter-mile in :23.37 ahead of 12-1 third choice Rockinmoney with the 8-1 Rock Star Rebel and 26-1 Cast a Coin a little further back. Hit the Post continued on an easy lead into and through the turn, going past the half in :46.59 and well in hand.
Well clear off the turn and into the stretch, Hit the Post zipped past 5 furlongs in :58.65 ahead by 6 lengths and widened from there. He won by 6 1/2 lengths over Cast a Coin, who edged Rockinmoney for the place spot. Hit the Post won in 1:11.
Hit the Post, second in the July 14 New York Derby at Finger Lakes and second in the August 21 Albany Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, prepped for the Ontario County with trainer Melanie Giddings’ string at Saratoga’s Oklahoma Training Track. A maiden winner at Saratoga June 6, Hit the Post improved to 2-for-7 with two seconds and a third with earnings of $168,783.
Foaled at Old Tavern Farm in Stillwater, Hit the Post is the fifth foal out of the winning Medaglia d’Oro mare Memento d’Oro. Walt and Michelle Borisnok’s Old Tavern Farm bought Memento d’Oro in foal to Ghostzapper from the Stronach’s family’s Adena Springs for $160,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.
Memento d’Oro is the dam of four winners led by Hit the Post. She’s also the dam of New York-bred winners Seahorse d’Oro and Salsa a Parte, and winner and $131,610-earner Healy’s Hope. She’s also the dam of a yearling New York-bred colt by Charlatan, who RNA’d as a weanling for $127,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale; and a weanling colt by Proxy born April 3 in New York.
