Despite sustaining a gash in a rear foot, Rockport Harbor narrowly defeated Galloping Grocer in the Remsen.
Fox Hill Farms' Rockport Harbor, undefeated winner of the Remsen (gr. II) and Nashua Stakes (gr. III), is recovering nicely from a severe gash to his back foot and is scheduled to leave Philadelphia Park for Oaklawn on Wednesday, Jan. 5, according to owner Rick Porter, The son of Unbridled's Song suffered his injury after being struck by another horse going into the clubhouse turn in the Remsen, which he won by a hard-fought neck over the previously undefeated Galloping Grocer."His foot is healing beautifully," Porter said. "(The wound) is less than the size of a nickel, and he should resume training by this coming weekend."Rockport Harbor is trained by John Servis and ridden by Stewart Elliott, the same team that won the 2004 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness (gr. I) with Smarty Jones. He will follow the same path that Smarty took to Churchill Downs, using the Rebel Stakes (gr. III) and Arkansas Derby (gr. II) as preps, with a possible start in the Southwest Stakes, depending on the condition of his foot.Rockport Harbor, a $470,000 Keeneland September yearling sale purchase, is undefeated in four starts, winning his first three under wraps by huge margins. He was tested for the first time in the Remsen, and responded gamely to the challenge of Galloping Grocer, who also had won his first three starts with ease, all against New York-breds.
