Chocolate Ride Speeds to Bradley Victory
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Photo: Amanda Weir Hodges / Hodges Photography
Chocolate leads the way to victory in the Col. E.R. Bradley Handicap.
Wentworth Brochu's Chocolate Ride led soon after the start and held on to win the $125,000 Col. E.R. Bradley Handicap (gr. IIIT) Jan. 16 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, earning his third graded stakes win at the New Orleans track.
The 6-year-old Candy Ride gelding, pressed by Sky Flight through six furlongs in 1:12.40, won by three-quarters of a length from Roman Approval, who split horses in the final sixtheenth and finished with good energy for second.
The 4-5 favorite in the nine-horse field, Chocolate Ride covered 1 1/16 miles on good turf 1:43.21 with Florent Geroux riding for trainer Brad Cox.
Chocolate Ride, the 122-pound highweight, paid $3.60, $2.80, and $2.60. Roman Approval paid $5.80 and $3.80, and Blarp came in third to return $7.40.
Chocolate Ride improved to 6-2-2 from 15 starts that include victories in the 2015 Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Handicap (gr. IIT) in course record time 1:48.18 for 1 1/8 miles and Fair Grounds Handicap (gr. IIIT) at last year's Fair Grounds meet.
After taking last year's Muniz, Chocolate Ride finished eighth in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (gr. IT) on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs. Given time off until Nov. 27, he emphatically returned to dominate foes in a Fair Grounds turf allowance by three lengths in a near track record going the Bradley distance and kept his momentum going Saturday.
Bred in Kentucky by Brian Kahn from the Old Trieste mare Heatherdoesntbluff, Chocolate Ride was a $260,000 purchase from Bedouin Bloodstock's agency at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale by previous trainer Mark Casse.
Flashlight hit the wire fourth in the Bradley, followed by String King, Potomac River, Sky Flight, Hot Zapper, and Ibaka to complete the order of finish. Majestic Harbor, Pumpkin Rumble and Freestyler were scratched.