Jockey Javier Castellano flew up from Florida to win three of the four stakes races run yesterday at Aqueduct, and this is one trip he won’t soon forget. Not the flight itself, but his Mr. Toad’s wild ride aboard the 3-year-old colt Revolutionary in the 133rd running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Withers.
After finishing third, second and third as the heavy favorite in his first three starts for Todd Pletcher, Revolutionary finally graduated by 8 1/2 lengths as the even-money choice his first time going two turns over the Big A’s inner track on Dec. 28. Off that runaway, the big son of War Pass was odds-on in the Withers at 3-5 in a field of eight taking their baby steps on the Triple Crown trail.
Racing in last place down the backside and around the far turn, Revolutionary looked like a bad bet at any price. At the top of the stretch, he was boxed in behind horses, with Castellano trying to pick his way through traffic, but every time a path opened, it seemed to close just as quickly. Finally, as the tightly bunched field battled through the final furlong, Castellano found a seam and Revolutionary drove right through it like a seasoned warrior, splitting horses to surge to the lead in the final strides, winning by a neck in 1:44.32.
“He didn’t break that sharp, and I didn’t panic,” Castellano said. “The key with him is that you have to be patient. I could have gone around horses, but I just wanted to teach him something. I knew he could get it done.”
For his impressive victory, Revolutionary earned a measly 10 points in Churchill Downs’ new point system for determining which 3-year-olds qualify for the Kentucky Derby’s 20-horse field. If he waits for the final round of prep races to make his next start, Revolutionary likely would have to finish first or second to make the Derby starting gate.
“When you’re looking at a race like the Derby, potentially down the road, to get that kind of experience [in the Withers], it’s invaluable,” said Elliott Walden, president of the WinStar Farm that owns Revolutionary after buying him as a 2-year-old for $235,000. “This race was worth three in terms of education.”
* Churchill Downs yesterday released the list of 369 horses that are early nominees to the Triple Crown, down from last year’s 398. As the geniuses who run horse racing do every year, they made the announcement the day before the Super Bowl to assure maximum media coverage.