Reckless Abandon extended his perfect record to five wins Oct. 13 at Newmarket when he prevailed by a neck in a thrilling finish in the Vision.ae Middle Park Stakes (Eng-I) for 2-year-olds.
Scoring his second top-level win of the season for trainer Clive Cox, the Exchange Rate colt outfinished highly regarded Moohaajim for the victory.
Reckless Abandon earned an automatic starting berth in the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint at Santa Anita Park as part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" series.
French jockey Gerald Mosse hustled Reckless Abandon past Hototo to control the early pace. The colt laid down a moderate tempo that ultimately worked to his advantage when Moohaajim came calling under Adam Kirby and looked to have briefly overtaken the winner in the final furlong. Reckless Abandon had ample energy in reserve when called upon, however, and battled back to triumph, denying Moohaajim a breakthrough group I win.
The 9-4 co-favorite with the runner-up, Reckless abandon covered six furlongs in 1:11.06 on turf rated as good to soft.
"We got a chance to get the lead without too much pressure," Mosse told Sky Sports. "We picked up quite well and he kept fighting. When I pressured him a bit hard, he answered."
Gale Force Ten, a 33-to-1 outsider trained by Aidan O'Brien, finished third, a neck behind Moohaajim, in the 10-horse field. Cristoforo Colombo, also trained by O'Brien, finished fourth.
The speed-loving Reckless Abandon entered with four wins from as many starts, making nearly all the pace each time. In his start prior to the Middle Park, he won the Aug. 19 Darley Prix Morny (Fr-I) at Deauville, in which Moohaajim finished fifth. His perfect record also includes the July 22 Prix Robert Papin (Fr-II) at Maisons-Laffitte in France and the Norfolk Stakes (Eng-II) over runner-up Gale Force Ten in June at Royal Ascot.
Following his win in the Prix Morny, Reckless Abandon was purchased by Sheikh Mohammed's Darley, but was leased back to owners Julie Deadman and Stephen Barrow to continue his racing career through the end of 2013.
British-bred Reckless Abandon was produced by the winning Efisio mare Sant Elena, a stakes-placed half sister to Ticker Tape, who was a multiple grade I winner in the U.S. The family includes English group I winner Crowded House.
