Post-Race Analysis:
Nashville, Tennessee - May 10, 2008: Good Night Shirt won the Grade
I $150,000 Iroquois Steeplechase for the second year in-a-row, defeating
Best Attack by 4 1/2 lengths. It was another two lengths back to
the mare, Sweet Shani (NZ), who finished third. Good Night Shirt
became the 13th horse to win back-to-back runnings of the race;
no horse has ever won the Iroquois, run for the 67th time this year,
in three consecutive years.
Going right to the front under regular jockey Willie Dowling,
Good Night Shirt set a relaxed pace and was never headed as he turned
aside several challenges before pulling away through the stretch
to cover the 3 miles and 18 fences in 5:47 3/5, well off the stakes
record of 5:24.20 set by Uncle Edwin in 1985.
Owned by Harold A. "Sonny" Via and trained by Jack Fisher,
Good Night Shirt improved his record to 2-for-2 this year, with
both victories coming in Grade I races, and won for the fifth time
in his last six starts. Last year's steeplechase Eclipse award-winner
leads all 2008 steeplechasers with $150,000 in earnings. More importantly,
he was flawless in a convincing victory.
“The boy became a man today,” Dowling said of Good Night Shirt
after the race. “He was more professional today – no mistakes, nothing
sloppy. He’s got an engine that just allows him to keep going. He’s
the best horse I’ve ever ridden. At that distance, he kills the
other horses," added Dowling. "They can't go with him".
Good Night Shirt opened his 2008 campaign with a Grade I win at
Atlanta April 12, but had to overcome a sloppy jump at the last
fence to get the win. At Nashville, the 7-year-old son of Concern
set a relaxed pace while getting pressure from Sweet Shani and Bow
Strada early. Still in front on the final turn, Good Night Shirt
got a brief breather which helped him hold off Best Attack in the
stretch.
There were no mistakes this time as Good Night Shirt was perfect
throughout the marathon Iroquois, thwarting Sweet Shani’s pressing
style early and saving plenty for Best Attack in the stretch.
Fisher joked that his horse would next take a trip “to Disney World,”
but will instead give the Maryland-bred an extended break before
preparing for a fall campaign. Major goals will be the $300,000
Breeders’ Cup Grand National in October and the $150,000 Colonial
Cup in November. With the victory, Good Night Shirt increased his
career steeplechase bankroll to $598,973 (sixth on the career earnings
list). .
Other Races on the Card
Nashville owner Calvin Houghland enjoyed his best day here in
six years, winning the first two races with Mon Villez in the $35,000
Bright Hour Amateur Hurdle and Dr. Bloomer in the $50,000 Marcellus
Frost Grade III Hurdle Stakes. Mon Villez sat back until the final
turn, then surged to the front and sailed over the last of 18 fences
to win. Trainer Bruce Miller considered running him in the Iroquois,
but opted to give jockey Brooks Durkee his wish. "I begged Bruce
to let me ride him in this race," Durkee said. "I wasn't in great
position leading into the hill the last time, but we managed to
jump our way up." Dr. Bloomer staved off the hard-charging Spy In
The Sky to win the day's closest finish by three-quarters of a length.
The duo of trainer Thomas Voss and jockey Xavier Aizpuru produced
back-to-back wins in the third and fourth races. In the $50,000
Margaret Currey Henley Sport of Queens, 7-year-old mare Guelph went
to the front and stayed there, winning by three lengths over Jellyberry.
"She's won races in that style before," Aizpuru said. "She played
it pretty safe so she was saving a bit of energy." The roles reversed
in the $25,000 George Sloan and John Sloan Sr. Sport of Kings when
Aizpuru rode Dreadnaught past tiring So Amazing, who held a lead
of 20-plus lengths for much of the race.
Allimac breezed to victory in the $75,000 Mason Houghland Memorial
Timber Stakes for the second time in three years, winning much the
same way he did in 2006 — by going to the front early. "The other
horses stalk him but they can't get to him," trainer Desmond Fogarty
said.
Edited from NSA press release.
The complete order of finish for the Iroquois is set forth below.
Results:
|
FP
|
Horse
|
lbs
|
Jockey
|
Trainer
|
Owner
|
|
1
|
Good Night Shirt |
158 |
Dowling |
Jack Fisher |
Harold A. Via, Jr. |
|
2
|
Best Attack |
158 |
C. Miller |
F. Bruce Miller |
Sarah J. Radcliffe |
|
3
|
Sweet Shani |
150 |
Aizpuru |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Calvin Houghland |
|
4
|
Bow Strada (GB) |
158 |
Rafter |
F. Bruce Miller |
Calvin Houghland |
|
5
|
Fra Diablo (Arg) |
158 |
Hodsdon |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Mrs Jack M. Bass, Jr. |
|
6
|
Orison |
158 |
McCarron |
Doug Fout |
EMO Stables |
|
PU
|
Kilbride Rd |
158 |
Young |
Doug Fout |
Betsy B. Mead |
back to top
Pedigree of Winner:
Click
here for Good Night Shirt's 5-cross pedigree.
Pedigrees compliments of PedigreeQuery.com
Previous Winners:
| YEAR |
FIRST (Age) |
JOCKEY |
lbs. |
SECOND (Age) |
lbs. |
THIRD (Age) |
lbs. |
|
2007
|
Good Night Shirt (6) |
Dowling |
158 |
Sur La Tete (9) |
158 |
Chivite (Ire) |
158 |
|
2006
|
Sur La Tete (8) |
Read |
158 |
Feeling So Pretty |
158 |
Erin Go Bragh (NZ) |
158 |
|
2005
|
Sur La Tete (7) |
Read |
158 |
McDynamo (8) |
158 |
Bow Strada (GB) |
158 |
|
2004
|
Tres Touche (7) |
Bentley |
158 |
Snowball Flannagan |
158 |
Duke Of Earl (Ire) |
158 |
|
2003
|
Pelagos (Fr) (8) |
Foley |
158 |
Praise The Prince (NZ) (8) |
158 |
Storm Touch (7) |
158 |
|
2002
|
All Gong (GB) (8) |
B. Miller |
158 |
Praise The Prince (NZ) (7) |
158 |
Flat Top (9) |
158 |
|
2001
|
Rand (NZ) (7) |
E. Lamb |
158 |
All Gong (GB) (7) |
158 |
Electron (8) |
158 |
|
2000
|
Pinkie Swear (6) |
Clancy |
154 |
All Gong (GB) (6) |
158 |
Greek Hero (7) |
158 |
|
1999
|
Rowdy Irishman (10) |
Marzullo |
156 |
|
|
|
|
|
1998
|
Rowdy Irishman (9) |
Marzullo |
156 |
|
|
|
|
|
1997
|
Correggio (Ire) (6) |
Kingsley |
156 |
|
|
|
|
|
1996
|
To Ridley (6) |
Clancy |
156 |
|
|
|
|
|
1995
|
Lonesome Glory (7) |
B. Miller |
156 |
|
|
|
|
|
1994
|
Mistico (8) |
Thornton |
168 |
|
|
|
|
|
1993
|
Mistico (7) |
S. Neilson |
168 |
|
|
|
|
|
1992
|
Victorian Hill (7) |
B. Miller |
168 |
|
|
|
|
Post-Race Analysis | Results
| Pedigree of Winner | Previous
Winners
