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Repole Stable’s Overanalyze re-rallied to nip Normandy Invasion and capture the Remsen Stakes (gr. II) Nov. 24 by a nose at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The 2-year-old son of Dixie Union covered the nine furlongs in 1:50.13. Passing the pacesetting Delhomme in deep stretch, Overanalyze had to then come back against the late run of Normandy Invasion to get the narrow victory (VIDEO). It was three-quarters of a length back to Delhomme in third.
Overanalyze, trained by Todd Pletcher, was part of a Repole Stable entry with Micromanage. Delhomme is also trained by Pletcher.
Delhomme took the early lead under Javier Castellano and set sensible fractions of :23.99 and :48.07 while being tracked by the winner. The two separated themselves from the pack as they raced six furlongs in 1:12.54. Normandy Invasion began to make a serious move from the back of the pack while skimming the fence.
In the stretch it was a three-horse race as they hit the eighth pole 1:37.45. As Delhomme tired slightly at the rail, Normandy Invasion and jockey Jose Lezcano swooped to the outside with Overanalyze battling between them. The top two exchanged the lead with each stride to the line.
“When (Normandy Invasion) came to me, he actually got ahead of me," said winning rider Ramon Dominguez. "I wasn’t happy about that. My horse was taking sand by that point, but I kept after him and he kept on coming. I was very proud of the way he came back at the other horse. The other horse never stopped running. It was actually my horse doing the comeback. I was very pleased about that.”
The winner paid $5.50, $3.10, and $2.10. Normandy Invasion paid $4.30 and $2.90, and Delhomme paid $3 to show. The 1-9 exacta paid $21.80.
“At the eighth pole, I would have said he’d get third place by about two lengths" said Mike Repole. "I didn’t think he had a shot; the fractions were slow. He’s an experienced horse, a very, very gutsy horse. He’s won a stake at six furlongs and a stakes at 1 1/8 miles; he’s a very nice horse.”
The winner, a $380,000 Keeneland September sale yearling from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment, was bred in Kentucky by Gerald Ford’s Diamond A Racing. He is out of the Unaccounted For mare Unacloud. The 15-year-old mare is also the dam of 2006 Matron Stakes (gr. I) winner Meadow Breeze (by Meadowlake) and Mighty Monsoon, who ran third in the 2011 Best Pal Stakes (gr. II).
Overanalyze broke his maiden at first asking at Saratoga Aug. 9 going five furlongs. He then ran fourth, beaten seven lengths, behind likely 2-year-old male champion Shanghai Bobby in the Three Chimneys Hopeful Stakes (gr. II). Overanalyze resurfaced at Belmont Park in the Sept. 30 Futurity Stakes (gr. II), running off to a 3 3/4-length victory going six furlongs. Shipped to Churchill Downs, Overanalyze ran third in the one-mile Iroquois Stakes (gr. III).
"He’s a horse that won first time out going wire-to-wire at Saratoga in :57 1/5," Pletcher said. "He’s got speed and the ability to carry it. He’s a ratable horse, tractable, smart horse. It looked like the horse who finished second had a lot of momentum, but actually, when he got to Overanalyze it kind of emboldened him and carried him on again.”
