Most Feared Scares Up Win in Arlington Futurity

Tom R. Durant's Most Feared took the lead approaching the eighth pole and run a drew off for a three-length tally in the $150,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity (gr. III)Saturday at Arlington Park.

Mark Guidry rode the son of Commanchero, who covered the mile over a fast track in 1:37.52.

"He broke real sharp," said Guidry, who also won this race in 1996 with Night In Reno. "I could have been a lot closer. He rated good up the backside. Into the turn, he was dragging me up to the two leaders. Pat (Day on Boston Park) was on the inside of me and he wanted a little racing room, too. So we kind of ran around there together and then turning for home his horse collapsed. My horse was going along real easy and I never asked him. I knuckled down on him a little and he gave it to me."

"He ran exactly the way I hoped he would," added winning trainer Ronny Werner. "That was the whole plan today, to stay up with the top three and we did that today against a good bunch of babies. So from here hopefully we can move forward (to the Breeders' Cup)."

The one-turn one-mile Futurity is traditionally the meet's main objective for the freshmen set, but this year the Futurity becomes a prep for the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I), to be contested at a 1 1/8 mile Oct. 26 at Arlington. If Most Feared goes on to win the $1 million Juvenile, he will be awarded an additional $250,000 as part of the Bessemer Trust Two-Year-Old Challenge.

Anasheed, part of a 3-2 coupled entry with Sharp Impact, rallied from last after a half-mile to finish second. It was another neck back to Unleash the Power, who ran third in the field of 10 2-year-olds.

"(My horse) ran a great race," said Robby Albarado, who rode the runner-up. "It was so crowded. I went a bit wide. He did run hard."

"He ran good," said Earlie Fires of third-place finisher Unleash the Power. "We had a pretty good trip. I was hoping they'd all stay tight around the turn so I could go around them. He's going to improve."

Most Feared paid $13.60, $5.60 and $4. Anasheed returned $3 and $2.60. Unleash the Power paid $3.20.

(Chart, Equibase)