Photo: Adam Coglianese
In his first start since February 21, Repole Stable’s classy veteran Driven by Success wired the $75,000 Easy N Dirty overnight stakes at Saratoga on Friday, playing cat and mouse with Smokin Hero on the front end early, and drawing away in the final sixteenth to hold entrymate Be Bullish at bay.
The seven-furlong Easy N Dirty stakes pitted Anstu Stables’ Todd Pletcher-trained Ibboyee, who ran down Be Bullish late in the John Morrissey at the Spa on August 3, against the coupled entry of Pletcher-trained Driven by Success and Repole-owned, George Weaver-trained Be Bullish.
Debra Roma Photography
As the race set up, Driven by Success, who was making his 29th career start after a six-month freshening, would do the work on the front end under new pilot Cornelio Velasquez. Be Bullish and Javier Castellano would be likely to stalk, while Ibboyee and John Velazquez promised to unleash a closing kick from off the pace.
The Repole entry was favored at .90-1 odds, with Ibboyee second choice at 1.40-1. Smokin Hero, who would likely challenge Driven by Success up front, was 9-2, and Six Flings rounded out the field of five at 11-1.
Driven by Success was sharp out of the gate from post four and went to straight to the front, with Smokin Hero following suit to his inside and Be Bullish taken back into third. The two frontrunners cagily avoided mutual self-destruction in a speed duel, however, and ran relatively moderate early fractions of 23.55 and 46.81.
As Be Bullish made a move on three wide going into the far turn to set up for the stretch drive, Smokin Hero continued to apply pressure to Driven by Success as far as the furlong marker. Ibboyee, wide on the turn and even wider in the stretch, raced last of the five.
Taking over with a furlong to go, Driven by Success opened up comfortably in the final sixteenth on his way to a 1 ¼ length victory. Be Bullish closed willing to get the place, three-quarters of a length clear of a persistent Smokin Hero, who finished third. Six Flings and Ibboyee, who did not mount his rally, completed the order of finish. After six panels in 1:10.07, the final time for the seven furlongs over the fast going was 1:22.24. [VIDEO]
Debra Roma Photography
Winning owner Mike Repole said after the race, “Driven [by Success] hasn’t run in six months. He likes this track. He loves seven furlongs. He’s just a gutsy fun horse.” Repole did quip, however, “I was rooting for Be Bullish over Driven by Success, just so I could walk down here [to the winner’s circle] without Todd.” Repole, who had taken charge of pre-race instructions in the paddock, added, “It’s kind of weird when you have an entry with two different trainers, so I just had to talk to both jockeys and leave the trainers out of it.”
A six-year-old gelded son of Precise End bred by the Richard Simon’s New Dawn Stud, Driven by Success is now a four-time restricted stakes winner and 11-time stakes performer. In 2009 he secured two Grade 1 placings – the Shadwell Metropolitan H. and Carter H. – as well as a placing in the Grade 2 Tom Fool. He ran third last year in the Grade 3 Toboggan S. His record now stands at 29-9-5-5 with $591,219 in earnings.
The chestnut gelding is one of ten winners from ten starters produced by winner Afleet Closer (Afleet), purchased by New Dawn Stud for $35,000 at the OBS 2000 October mixed sale. Driven by Success’ siblings include black type-winner Diablo’s Closer (Diablo) and black type-placed Fleeting Diablo (Diablo), as well as six-figure earners Fleet Forum (Open Forum) and full-brother Precision Perfect.
Afleet Closer was sold to Mill Creek Farm in 2008 for $10,000. Her two-year-old filly Gambling Geraldine, by Wildcat Heir, bred by New Dawn Stud and purchased by Repole as a yearling for $100,000, is a winner. Afleet Closer also has a two-year-old filly by Prime Timber (Primed for Success) and a yearling colt by Giant’s Causeway (both with Repole Stable, Inc. as the breeder of record). Her progeny have now earned well over $1.2 million. Driven by Success was purchased by Joseph Brocklebank (agent) for $95,000 at the 2007 OBS April two-year-old sale.
