Rapid Redux to Charles Town to Try for No. 17

Rapid Redux will attempt to win his 17th consecutive race Sept. 16 when he goes to post in a $20,000 starter allowance test at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia.

Rapid Redux, a 5-year-old Pleasantly Perfect gelding owned by Robert Cole Jr. and trained by David Wells, was claimed by his connections in October 2010 at Hollywood Casino at Penn National, where Wells is based. He began his win streak Dec. 2 at Penn National.

Rapid Redux has won races at seven different tracks since the streak began. Twelve of his 16 victories have come in starter allowance company; he raced for a $5,000 tag and thus is eligible.

The Sept. 16 race at Charles Town is at 1 1/16 miles around three turns. In his last start Rapid Redux won a 1 1/16-mile starter allowance event around three turns Sept. 4 at the Maryland State Fair at Timonium.

J.D. Acosta, who rode him at Timonium, will ride Rapid Redux at 124 pounds at Charles Town.

“He has got a lot of speed, he’s bred to go long, and we’ve kept him fit,” Wells told Charles Town officials. “Knock on wood hopefully we keep him sound, too. We’ve picked our spots pretty carefully with him, but this race on Friday night is by far the toughest test he’s going to have faced.”

With 16 consecutive wins Rapid Redux is tied with Cigar, Citation, Hallowed Dreams, and Mister Frisky in North America. Zenyatta and Pepper’s Pride hold the record at 19.

The Charles Town race is the eighth on the Sept. 16 program and is scheduled for 10:25 p.m. EDT. The race drew a field of 10, the most that can start on the three-quarter-mile surface.

Out of the Storm Cat mare Thiscatsforcaryl, Rapid Redux was bred in Kentucky by Fortress Pacific Equine.