Redding Colliery Buries Lone Star 'Cap Foes

East Coast invader Redding Colliery disposed of pacesetter Euroears leaving the final turn and left his seven rivals far behind in capturing the $300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap (gr. III) (VIDEO) for his first graded stakes victory May 31 in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Ridden by 22-year-old Rosie Napravnik, the 4-year-old son of Mineshaft defeated Awesome Gem by 6 3/4 lengths while completing the 1 1/16-mile main track event in 1:42.13 over a fast track. Awesome Gem and Redding Colliery ran second and third, respectively, in the Charles Town Classic in their most recent race April 17.

Napravnik became the first female rider to win a graded stakes race in Lone Star Park history.

“He only broke a little bit slow today, but he was able to get himself into good position early on,” said Napravnik, after she recorded her second win in a graded stakes. “I felt like we would get past the horse we were laying off of early on, and it was a really good feeling when he kicked clear through the stretch.”

Euroears held on for third, another 6 1/2 lengths back, with Fifteen Love running fourth. The 8-5 favorite Mythical Power, chasing the pace in fourth on the final turn, faded out of contention and finished last in the field.

Kiaran McLaughlin trains Redding Colliery, a four-length winner of the John B. Campbell Stakes at Laurel Park in February, in New York for owner Mrs. Fitriani Hay.

With Jamie Theriot aboard, Euroears had things his way after taking the lead soon out of the gate and posting sensible fractions of :23.43, :46.26, and 1:10.66. Redding Colliery, always close, raced in third early before advancing into second ahead of Jonesboro on the clubhouse turn. The first pair edged well clear of the rest of the field down the backstretch and into the far turn as Fifteen Love, Mythical Power, and Jonesboro tried to keep up.

On the final turn, Redding Colliery moved alongside Euroears as Awesome Gem, bidding from near the rear of the pack for jockey David Flores, and Fifteen Love made up ground. But in upper stretch, Redding Colliery suddenly opened up by nearly four lengths and there would be no catching him. He won under urging while drifting out a bit through the lane.

Bred by Gainesway Thoroughbreds and 707 Stables, Redding Colliery was a $170,000 Keeneland September yearling sale buy in 2007. The gray/roan colt is out of the Zilzal mare Joop.

Redding Colliery raced in the United Arab Emirates last spring, finishing third in the UAE Two Thousand Guineas (UAE-III) and seventh in the UAE Derby (UAE-II) at Nad al Sheba. He has won four of nine starts since surfacing at Saratoga in an allowance race last August.

Overall, Redding Colliery's career mark stands at 5-1-3 in 15 races. He boasts career earnings of $402,853 with the winning purse of $174,000 in the Lone Star Park Handicap.

The second choice, Redding Colliery carried 117 pounds and paid $6.20, $3.40, and $3. Runner-up Awesome Gem, who continues to close in on $2 million in career earnings for West Point Thoroughbreds and trainer Craig Dollase, returned $2.80 and $2.60 and completed a $21 exacta. Awesome Gem earned $57,000 to push his bankroll to $1,974,682. Euroears, second to Mythical Power in the Texas Mile (gr. III) five weeks ago at Lone Star, was $4.80 to show.

Fifteen Love was followed by Golden Yank, Indy Express, Jonesboro, and Mythical Power.