Chelsea Durand Photo

Andthewinneris answers the call in G3 Knickerbocker

by Mary Eddy

Susan Moulton’s Kentucky homebred Andthewinneris returned to graded stakes-winning form with a last-to-first victory in Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Knickerbocker, a nine-furlong outer turf test for 3-year-olds and up, at Belmont at the Big A.

The win gave four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown – who also saddled runner-up Redistricting – a sweep of the weekend’s graded events at the Big A after capturing the Grade 2 Sands Point yesterday with Spaliday.

Andthewinneris, a 4-year-old son of Oscar Performance, visited the winner’s circle for the first time since taking the Texas Turf Mile last January at Sam Houston when in the care of conditioner Wayne Catalano, who also conditioned the gelding to his first graded win in the Grade 2 Bourbon at Keeneland as a juvenile. He was transferred to Brown this spring and earned his first win in his fourth start since, improving from a narrow nose defeat last out in a local optional claiming tilt on September 20 and two losses this summer at Saratoga Race Course.

Ridden to victory by Dylan Davis, Andthewinneris emerged from post 2-of-5 and settled in last as Siege of Boston took charge past the wire for the first time to mark an opening quarter-mile in 23.56 seconds over the firm footing with Fort Washington applying pressure from second.

Davis explained he initially planned to be more forwardly placed after the scratch of the speedy Irish Prophet.

“The instructions were to get forward position because the main speed scratched,” Davis said. “I came out the best I could with the distance given – you don’t want to be too crazy – but everyone else was more intent and broke better than me, so I found myself last.”

Siege of Boston held his command down the backstretch and through a half-mile in 47.78 with post-time favorite Redistricting hugging the rail and Reckoning Force running fourth to his outside. Fort Washington was given his cue after three quarters in 1:11.20 but spun his wheels as Reckoning Force swung three-wide with Andthewinneris following suit four-wide.

Siege of Boston tired along the inside with Fort Washington in the two-path, leaving a loaded Redistricting with nowhere to run entering the stretch and forcing Manny Franco to angle his charge around the top trio.

Andthewinneris closed furiously down the center of the course, but shied from a left-handed crop and left a gap open for Redistricting to find his best stride in the final sixteenth. However, Andthewinneris had already gotten the jump on his stablemate and proved best by a neck in a final time of 1:46.15.

“I started off right-handed on him and then I pulled the left when I got close to the competition, and he drifted away from it,” Davis explained. “He shied but I kept left-handed because was running from it – he was shying from it – but he was running from it, and it was enough for me to get past the leaders. I didn’t want to have to switch back to the right and straighten him up. I think that really helped him a lot.”

Redistricting was a nose better than Reckoning Force with Fort Washington and Siege of Boston completing the order of finish. Irish Prophet and main track-only entrant Film Star were scratched.

Brown said he is grateful to have landed the exacta, but lamented the troubled trip for Redistricting.

“It was nice to run one-two, but it was very frustrating for Redistricting. I feel bad for his connections because that horse looked like he was probably best,” Brown said. “But I’m very proud of Andthewinneris, who continues to improve for us. He was a victim of a really bad trip in Saratoga and then got caught in a paceless race last time, so it was his turn to have the run of the race and have good luck. These two-turn turf races can be tricky, and he showed up today. I’m very proud of him.”

The Knickerbocker was the first start off a 10-month layoff for Redistricting, who was last seen pulling up in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby in December at Del Mar.

“He’s been ready to run for a couple of months now and we were struggling to find the right race for him,” Brown said. “He was more than ready to run today, and my team did a good job off the layoff. He’s an exciting horse going forward – but I don’t know what I’m going to do with him yet.”

Andthewinneris banked $96,250 in victory while improving his lifetime record to 14-4-1-3. He is out of the winning Scat Daddy mare Run Like the Boss, who is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Bang for Your Buck.

Live racing resumes Thursday at the Big A with an eight-race card. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

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