Icabad Crane Wins the Tesio Stakes

By John Scheinman
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, April 20, 2008

BALTIMORE, April 19 -- Mario Pino turned for home on the back of Mint Lane, clear on the lead and feeling a racehorse full of run beneath him. With victory in the $150,000 Federico Tesio Stakes for 3-year-olds in sight Saturday, Pino believed there was no way he could lose, even when Icabad Crane came to engage him in a duel through the Pimlico stretch.

"I said, 'He's not going to pass me,' but he just kept coming," Pino said, a touch of amazement in his voice. "He must be a nice horse because we finished up good. How far ahead of the third horse were we?"

The answer is three lengths, and Icabad Crane indeed appeared to be a very good horse, winning the Tesio, the local prep race for the Preakness Stakes, by a head for jockey Jeremy Rose.

Trained by Graham Motion at the Fair Hill Training Center, Icabad Crane showed promise early in his career, winning his first two starts against New York-breds at Aqueduct before finishing third in the $100,000 Rushaway Stakes on March 22 at Turfway Park.

Despite having the fewest career races in the Tesio field of eight, the betting public sensed his talent and bet with gusto, lowering his morning-line odds of 8-1 down to 4-5.

With Rose angling through traffic and finding a clear path between horses at the top of the stretch, Icabad Crane showed terrific acceleration, finishing the final eighth of a mile in 12.53 seconds and completing the 1 1/8 -mile race in 1 minute 50.83 seconds.

"My horse was great," Rose said. "In the mornings he is lazy. When I worked him, I couldn't believe he was the horse everyone likes in the barn."

Motion, 43, one of the top trainers in the country, spent the day at Keeneland but had horses running at tracks in Lexington, Ky.; Baltimore; Chicago; Hallandale Beach, Fla.; and Tampa.

Assistant Adrian Rolls saddled Icabad Crane for Motion and said, "I was surprised he was favored, to be honest, but obviously he's got enough talent to get the job done."

When asked about the Preakness, Rolls said a decision would be made after a discussion between Motion and owner Earle Mack. The trainer already has a Kentucky Derby starter in Lane's End Stakes winner Adriano.

The Tesio highlighted one of the biggest cards of the Pimlico spring meet, with three other stakes races contested. Rose won three of them, and when he entered the winner's circle after the Tesio, track announcer Frank Carulli said: "Who else? Jeremy Rose."

In the $60,000 Geisha for fillies and mares, the superb 6-year-old mare Lexi Star opened her season with a long, determined run down the center of the track to wear down runner-up Spectacular Malibu and Come Fly Away and win by a head under Rose.

Trained by Chris Grove at the Bowie Training Center, Lexi Star ran the 1 1/16 -mile race in 1:43.76.

Rose also scored a gate-to-wire victory aboard sprinter Ravalo in the $75,000 Allen's Prospect Stakes, a six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up. Despite drifting out late, Ravalo, trained at Laurel by Donald Barr, easily held off Cognac Kisses to win in a fast time of 1:09.82.

Rose finished second in the only stakes race he did not win as his mount Eddie C. made the lead in the stretch but couldn't hold off the rallying Powerful Touch, ridden by Pino, who won the $75,000 Jim McKay for 3-year-olds and up.

Powerful Touch, owned by Magna Entertainment Chairman Frank Stronach and trained by Justin Nixon, took the 1 1/16 -mile dirt race in 1:43.13.

"I love these kind of days," Rose said.

War Pass Injured

War Pass, the 2-year-old juvenile champion last year and one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby, suffered a small fracture in the sesamoid of his left front ankle and will miss the Triple Crown. Trainer Nick Zito said it was too soon to know whether surgery would be required. . . .

The Polytrack surface at Keeneland continued to suit the 3-year-old runners of trainer Todd Pletcher, as Behindatthebar came from off the pace to win the $325,000 Lexington Stakes.

One week ago, Pletcher's Monba and Cowboy Cal finished first and second to secure their places in the Kentucky Derby. Pletcher said even though Behindatthebar moved up to 18th on the Derby money list, he was unlikely to run.