Hembree Up in Time in Nearctic Stakes
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Photo: Michael Burns
Hembree captures the Nearctic Stakes at Woodbine
The progression of Three Diamonds Farm's Hembree took its most emphatic step forward Oct. 13.
In his fifth start since being claimed by trainer Mike Maker for $50,000, the 4-year-old son of Proud Citizen turned himself into a graded stakes winner when he ran down pacesetter Yorkton in the final strides to take the $250,000 Nearctic Stakes (G2T) over six furlongs at Woodbine.
Hembree began his career in the barn of trainer Joe Sharp and twice knocked heads against graded company, finishing off the board in the 2016 Dixiana Bourbon Stakes (G3T) and 2017 American Derby (G3T). Since that American Derby run, however, the dark bay colt had only finished worse than third once. He was claimed by Maker on behalf of his new connections out of the care of Raymond Handal while earning show money in a seven-furlong dirt test April 11 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Fresh off a victory at Kentucky Downs Sept. 13, Hembree shipped north of the border and delivered his best run yet from his 21 starts. While Yorkton threw up fractions of :22.31 and :45.18 over the Woodbine course, Irad Ortiz Jr. sat chilly with Hembree in seventh, biding their time to close into the honest fractions.
Yorkton was still holding tough when the pack came at him in the lane, and for a moment it looked like his biggest threat was going to be the Maker-trained Hemp Hemp Hurray making a run along the inside. Instead, it was Hembree who sparked the barn-wide celebration as he rallied four wide down the middle of the track and got up by a neck at the wire.
"I got a good trip. (Assistant trainer Nolan Ramsey) told me that there was going to be some pace in front of me, so don't panic, just let him be comfortable," Ortiz said. "When I tipped him out in the stretch, he appreciated the long stretch. He picked it up and gave me some gears.
"By the eighth pole, I was like, 'Man, I'm going to get there,' because he was flying home."
The final time for the distance was 1:08.95 over a course rated good.
Yorkton held for second, with Hemp Hemp Hurray taking show honors to give Maker two of the top three placings.
In the relatively short time Hembree has been in the shedrow, Ramsey said the colt has proven to be an easy keeper whose on-track class is on par with his demeanor.
"Hemp Hemp Hurray may be a personal favorite, but this horse is all class, does everything right," Ramsey said. "It just makes my job very easy, so no surprise today."
Singandcryindubai and Bushrod completed the top five in the 11-horse field. Favorite Lady Alexandra faded after pressing the pace and ended up ninth. After the race, owner Scott Heider said the More Than Ready filly will be retired and bred to War Front .
Sent off at 9-1 odds, Hembree improved his record to five wins from 21 starts, with $450,426 in earnings. He was bred in Kentucky by Derby Lane Farm out of the Langfuhr mare Knockatrina.