WILL TAKE CHARGE: DERBY IN SIGHT
BY ZEETA CASE
10 points were awarded to his name heading into the Rebel, along with only 1 stakes win. But the spark that Will Take Charge showed in his Smarty Jones victory ignited an even bigger flame as he won the 2013 Rebel Stakes (GrII). A less than flattering 6th of 10 in the Southwest Stakes, the Unbridled's Song colt was 4th heading past mid-stretch in the Rebel on a less than fast pace.
Photo By Danny Johnston, AP |
Before the final yards he had been tracking in 5th place
throughout fractions of a ¼ in 23.36, ½ in 47.19, by the ¾ pole he started to
make his move passing 2 horses to the inside of him. The ¾ went in 1:12.39 as
Will Take Charge still progressed. Finally coming down to the finish with the
concluding time of 1:45.18, the colt just got Oxbow at the wire.
25-1 was registered to him for his final odds in the race,
and he showed that he was much more worthy of recognition than was brought to
him. He now stands at the top of the board in regards to the derby points system;
he books in with 60 points.
Pedigree will prove to be essential as to how far Will Take
Charge can go. The Breeder's Cup Juvenile winner Unbridled's Song won going 9
furlongs twice in the Florida Derby (GrI) and the Wood Memorial (GrII). Most of his races though were ranging
from7-8.5 furlongs. He only raced in three 9 furlong events and won two of
them, not a bad mark at the distance.
His sire Unbridled was also a nice distance horse winning at
10 furlongs twice and 9 furlongs one time. These races he won were the Kentucky
Derby (GrI), Breeder’s Cup Classic (GrI), and the Florida Derby (GrI). He also
had a collection of seconds going long as in the Super Derby (GrI), Preakness
Stakes (GrI), and the Secretariat Stakes (GrI). The 1990 Three Year Old
Champion was a good dirt horse as well.
Then we come to a dam worthy of great recognition, her name
being Take Charge Lady. Winner of 8 graded stakes through her lifetime and
placing in 8 graded stakes races, she was a force to be reckoned with. This
mare was almost virtually unbeatable at 8.5 and 9 furlongs, and was second in
many of those distanced races. Her foals include Take Charge Indy and now Will
Take Charge both graded winners and now two years in a row she has had foals on
the Derby Trail. She earned over $2.4 million in her lifetime and out of her 22
starts she was in the top three 81% of the time.
The dam of Take Charge Lady is Felicita not very noteworthy
on the track as she never ran. However she did produce Eventail a stakes winner
and graded stakes placed mare, Commendation also a stakes winner and graded
stakes placed gelding, and Parris Hill a 2 time winner along with placing in
the top three 70% of the time.
Trolley Song a mare out of Caro and Lucky Spell was only a one time winner in 7 starts but finished in the top three 57% of the time. Foals that she has produced include 12 foals 8 runners 4 winners and only 1 stakes winner. The stakes winner is Unbridled’s Song.
Photo By Stephen B. Thornton |