Wednesday, April 29, 2009
4th-CDX, $46,768, Msw, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :52, gd.
+FLATTER THAN ME (c, 2, Flatter--Hannah's Doll, by Boston Harbor), who as an $80,000 KEESEP yearling
was the highest-priced of the 16 Flatter yearlings to sell
last year, was given a 7-2 chance to succeed at first
asking for a trainer who hits with 17 percent of his
debut runners. Under Brian Hernandez, Jr., the colt was
full of run early and raced up to set a quarter-mile split
of :22 1/5. The 18-1 longshot Soundman
(Songandaprayer) moved to challenge at the quarter
pole and maybe took a narrow lead in upper stretch,
but Flatter Than Me battled back gamely along the rail
and inched away to win by 1 3/4 lengths. Soundman
held second over the rallying Elsaroarin (Roaring Fever).
The 4-5 firster Sparkle of Light (Alke) was fourth. Flatter
Than Me is a half-brother to the three-year-old
“TDN Rising Star” Auspicious (Indian Charlie),
who won her first two by a combined 13 1/4 lengths
before running third at 4-5 odds in the Prima Donna S.
at Oaklawn Mar. 22. Auspicious goes next in Saturday’
s GIII Eight Belles S. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0,
O-Merrill R Scherer, Dan Lynch & Ken Sentel. B-Hargus
& Sandra Sexton (KY). T-Merrill R Scherer.