Today’s Flavor gets sweet win in Thunder Rumble

By Paul Halloran

Javier Castellano says patience and confidence are the keys to winning any horse race. He had both, along with the wherewithal to find the most advantageous part of the racetrack, aboard Today’s Flavor in the $125,000 Thunder Rumble Division of the New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct Sunday.

Making his 10th start of the year, the gelded son of Laoban broke first and went to the front through a quarter-mile in :22.80, only to cede the lead to Dylan Davis and Be the Boss on the far turn. Be the Boss spurted away early in the stretch after a half-mile in :45.92, but when Castellano directed Today’s Flavor away from the rail, he came roaring down the outside of the track to win by 3½ lengths as the 6-5 favorite. General Banker closed hard to pick up Be the Boss for second. The winning time was 1:23.53.

“In those type of tough situations, you have to control yourself,” Castellano said. “My horse broke good and dictated the pace. I tried to give him a little breather, but at some point I don’t want to be pinched inside. I think the horse would be intimidated a little bit. You have to be patient and confident in yourself to have the best result.”

Castellano said he had the perfect horse to execute his strategy.

“He has a great mind, you can do whatever you want,” he said. “I tried to ride him like the best horse and that’s exactly what I did. I don’t want to duel the speed, I just laid back a little bit and set him outside turning for home and let the horse find his stride and finish really strong. He can do whatever you want. He can dictate the pace or be a little off the pace.”

As it turned out, Today’s Flavor experienced both scenarios Sunday, proving to be much the best in the 7-furlong stakes.

“He’s a rideable horse. You didn’t want to go with Dylan so it was the right choice just to wait and be out in the middle of the track,” said Blair Golen, assistant to winning trainer George Weaver. “It seemed like the last couple of races that’s where the winners were from.”

Today’s Flavor earned his third stakes win of the year, adding to scores in the state-bred Affirmed Success in April and an off-the-turf running of the Belmont Turf Sprint in October against open company, both over a sloppy and sealed Aqueduct main track. He improved his career record to 7-for-10 on the dirt at the Big A and 8-for-16 overall with $545,080 in earnings.

Bred by Joseph Calvo, Today’s Flavor is the first stakes winner (and one of three winners) out of the winning Speightstown mare Evangelical, a half-sister to stakes-placed Worship the Moon from the family of graded stakes winners Knights Templar and stakes winners For All Seasons and Dial A Song.

Reddam Racing purchased Today’s Flavor for $80,000 with Waves Bloodstock as agent at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale from South Point Sales Agency. Today’s Flavor is a half-brother to Garey Park, a New York-bred gelding by Trappe Shot who went 3-6-2 in 21 starts and earned $50,243.

Evangelical, a half-sister to Grade 2-placed Worship The Moon and four other winners, sold for $27,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. She has produced two foals in Korea, a Jimmy Creed filly, three-time winner Saenae Queen, and an unraced Shackleford filly, B K Zena.

 

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2023/12/03/todays-flavor-gets-sweet-win-in-thunder-rumble/

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