Lecomte Stakes Grade III
For Three-year-olds
A mile and sixteenth on the dirt
Fairgrounds Racetrack
January 21, 2012
Purse $201.250
Sector Seven proved to be on his way on the Triple Crown trail when he defeated his rivals in the Lecomte Stakes GIII at Fairgrounds earlier today. He continued his earnings haul towards qualifying for a shot at being one of the twenty three-year-olds to line up in the starting gate at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.
The field broke evenly with Crown Eagle full of speed and burst to the front but not before Dharkan and Pride Of Erin drew alongside and joined him. Pride Of Erin swiftly took over the lead from Crown Eagle on the rail and Dharkan in between horses. With all the action ensuing with the top three runners the favorite Sector Seven was slowly gaining on then and he did so with ease. Now the leader Sector Seven held a slim advantage over the field but he was very comfortable front running and Pride Of Erin faded.
The field was separated in a way that the front runners bunched together and then there was a break of about a length or two to another group of horses who may have been saving energy for the last quarter mile kick. Cryptomagic emerged from the group to take on rivals upfront but his efforts would reap benefits as Crown Eagle began to fade due to fatigue in the muscles, but Dharkan and Sector Seven kept it going as they were almost neck and neck on the turn for home.
At the top of the stretch it was Dharkan at the front by a full neck with Sector Seven staying on strong, Cryptomagic was still charging with a furlong and a half left to go. Bac For Cup and My Back Pages were running as a team as they passed a slowly fading Crown Eagle in the stretch. Super Sexy Sanny was down on the rail running but his strides showed were short and he was found wanting in the stretch. In the mean time Sector Seven slipped his head back in front of Dharkan and it was a bobbing duel to the wire, as one head went down the other went up and so it was in the last few strides as Sector Seven got his head down in time to capture the race. Bac For Cup also won a bobbing duel as he out bobbed Cryptomagic for the show, My Back Pages was a close fifth and Supper Sexy Sanny disappointed in sixth followed by one time early pacer Crown Eagle then Daytona, Don Felipe and Pride Of Erin who was once an early leader faded badly to last.
