Sea Strike Cruises to First Stakes Score in Curlin

Flanagan Racing's Sea Strike dominated the $150,000 Curlin Stakes at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 2, drawing off by 8 1/4 lengths to secure his first career stakes victory in brilliant fashion. The son of Midshipman was floated wide on the first turn, but was able to stalk the pace through opening fractions of :23.62 and :47.77 under Flavien Prat behind pacesetter Gulfy. Heading for home, it looked like the morning line favorite Chief Wallabee presented the biggest threat to Sea Strike, who advanced with authority through the turn. The Bill Mott trainee proved no match for the winner, however, and held on for second. Gulfy was third. Longshot Minorinconvenience was fourth. "(I wasn't expecting) that margin of victory, but I was feeling pretty good the horse would have at least a chance to win," said winning trainer Chad Brown, who secured his third win on the day with the Curlin victory. "He's just the best training horse I have, and he has been all year. And sometimes it doesn't correlate to meaning that you're the best racehorse, but when he breezes, he breezes freaky good." Sea Strike entered Sunday's race off a disappointing fifth-place finish in an allowance race June 6 at 6 1/2 furlongs. Both Brown and Prat think the added distance of the 1 1/8-mile Curlin Stakes helped the colt. “Obviously, (the Curlin’s distance) was a question mark, but he was able to get himself in the race today,” Prat said. Brown said that a step up in company in the Aug. 29 Travers Stakes (G1) could be next on the radar for Sea Strike. "That was a really good race yesterday, the Jim Dandy, so I don't say that lightly (considering the Travers), but I don't know, he ran pretty good today and looked like he had more in the tank," Brown said. Sea Strike's final time for the race was 1:48.94 over a fast track. He paid $13.62 to win.