Contact: Jim Miller
(708) 780-3700

Spruce Run Just up in Carey

STICKNEY, IL -- Rounding out the Fall Harvest Festival of Racing on Saturday at Hawthorne, a field of nine lined up for the Grade 3, $150,000 Robert F. Carey Memorial Handicap.

While the field was very compact much of the way, longshots Old Deuteronomy and Wimplestiltskin guided the bunch into the stretch. When both of those runners faded, the top two choices, Remind and Fort Prado, took chase. While Fort Prado appeared a winner late in the lane, jockey Rex Stokes III and Spruce Run angled to the rail and snuck through for a neck victory. Fort Prado held second while Remind ran third.

Jockey Brice Blanc, about Remind said a couple of minor changes in the race could have helped his mount in the end, “I was just a little bit farther back than I wanted to be. He came on and finished strong but he just flattened out a little bit late. I just wish I could have been a little bit closer on the backside.”

Eusebio Razo, Jr., jockey of Fort Prado got all he could from his mount, “He run big. He’s better when he has to chase horses. It seems like everytime he gets to the lead he relaxes and this horse came back on him. I thought that other horse was done when I passed him.”

Running to catch a flight, Rex A Stokes, winning jockey aboard Spruce Run summed things up quickly, “I had a game horse underneath me. He’s got a lot of heart.”

Spruce Run was sent off at 14-1 odds, returning $31.00, $12.20 and $6.80. Fort Prado came back $3.60 and $2.80 while Remind returned $3.00 to show.

Spruce run covered the mile on the good turf going in 1:39.97 after fractions of :24.46, :49.23, 1:14.47 and 1:27.13.

For more information about the Fall Harvest Festival of racing visit www.hawthorneracecourse.com or call Hawthorne Race Course at 708-780-3700.