Jimmy Rash, Central Nebraska Today
GRAND ISLAND — Things went just about perfectly for jockey Jose Medina and his horse Arthurian in the 63rd running of the $25,000 Dowd Mile Saturday at Fonner Park.
“I give a lot of credit to Medina,” trainer David Anderson said. “I thought he gave the horse a perfect ride. That’s easy to say when you win. If we’d gotten beat by a nose again, I would have said, ‘How’d we get beat?”’
That’s just what happened to Arthurian in his last out in the Tondi Stakes March 22 when he was edged by a nose at the wire Drivehappy. This time, Arthurian was battling Just Plain Ornery who was trying to go wire-to-wire to win the race.
Arthurian, a 7-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding, was sitting in fourth down the backstretch while saving ground along the rail. It was right where Anderson wanted him to be.
“He wanted me to stay saving ground behind the leader,” Medina said. “I just made the decision this time to follow instructions. Sometimes they allow me to do my best thing, but this time I just took the instructions how to ride.”
Arthurian had moved up to second heading into the stretch, and Anderson was surprised to see Just Plain Ornery, ridden by jockey Blake
Nunnelly, still in the lead. Anderson had hoped Fayette Warrior and Just Plain Ornery would hook up in a speed duel and burn each other out, but that didn’t happen.
“The two (Just Plain Ornery) surprised me that he retained his speed as long as he did,” Anderson said. “I felt we were fortunate to get by.
Where that race came from for him, I have no idea.”
Medina said he had to get Arthurian’s attention when they started the stretch run.
“When we hit the stretch, my horse didn’t give me that strong gear,” Medina said. “So I had to use the whip to wake him up.He started getting more aggressive and I started riding him strong. I never felt like, ‘I got it already.’ The last 75 yards was when I thought I had a strong chance to get him at the wire.”
Arthurian won by half a length in 1:39.6.
Anderson had high hopes for his other entry in the race, Time Muse, but he faded so seventh. So did jockey Kevin Roman, who chose to ride Time Muse instead of Arthurian.
“I thought Time Muse figured as much in the race as Arthurian, but he stopped for whatever reason. We don’t know why,” Anderson said. “But I’m pretty proud of Arthurian. He’s kind of an old war horse and he just kept on going.”
The win was the eighth in 20 starts for Arthurian. The win was worth $15,600 for owners JL Racing LLC and brought Arthurian’s career earnings to $156,714.
Arthurian paid $6.60, $4.40 and $3.20. Just Plain Ornery paid $15.80 and $6.80 while Subsidize paid $4.40 to show.
The next race for Arthurian, who had only gone a mile once before in his career, could be the $75,000 Bosselman Pump & Pantry/Gus Fonner Stakes April 26 at Fonner Park, but Anderson said that decision will be made at a later date.
“He will be nominated,” Anderson said. “I questioned whether he wanted to go a mile. He did that today. Will a 16th of a mile make any difference? We’ll wait and see who’s coming in, who’s shipping in. I’m not going to beat him up just so I have one in the Bosselman. I want to feel like I have a shot if I go.”
Hoofprints
— Trainer Jessika Bitting recorded her first career win in the fifth race with Charming Charlie, ridden by Travis Cunningham.
— Jockey Ronald Hisby won three times on Saturday. First on Code One for trainer Kelli Martinez in the second, then on Northwind for trainer Schuyler Condon in the sixth and on Time Machine for Condon in the eighth.
— The longshot winner of the day was Wilbert, ridden by Victor Bailon and trained by Gerald Big Hair. Wilbert paid $46.60 to win the seventh race. The 6-3 exacta with Leaoflittlefaith in second paid $298,40..
— Four correct in the Dinsdale Automotive Pick 5 Jackpot paid $217.20. The carryover for Sunday is $6,346.
