Cruel Intention Wears Down Galilean in GS Juvenile
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Cruel Intention (outside) just gets by Galilean to win the Golden State Juvenile.
For about five-sixteenths of a mile in the $200,000 Golden State Juvenile Nov. 3 at Santa Anita Park, two California-bred colts who could end up making noise down the line against any kind of competition engaged in a battle to the wire.
On the inside was West Point Thoroughbreds, Denise Barker, and William Sandbrook's Galilean, who set swift fractions early in the seven-furlong test for 2-year-old colts and geldings bred in California. On the outside was Jungle Racing, LNJ Foxwoods, and Nexus Racing Club's Cruel Intention, part of a pace-pressing trio that also featured I Belong to Becky and Luck's Royal Flush, who rushed up on the rail.
Those two didn't hang around for long, however, as Galilean and Cruel Intention kicked away with ease in the turn and began their match race to the finish.
On the outside and with momentum, the Bob Baffert-trained Cruel Intention appeared to be primed to breeze by, but in early stretch Galilean dug in, and still had a head in front at the furlong pole. Cruel Intention continued to grind away under jockey Evin Roman and finished a neck in front at the wire in a final time of 1:22.82.
"I knew he was a very good horse and he's very smart," Roman said of the Smiling Tiger colt, who won his debut, a Cal-bred maiden race, by 5 1/2 lengths Oct. 13 at Santa Anita. "We laid close to the pace, and when I asked him around the turn, he went right up with (Galilean), and he finished very strong."
Galilean, who also won his debut, but did it in stakes company Sept. 22 at Los Alamitos Race Course in the Barretts Juvenile, set fractions of :22.17, :44.90, and 1:09.47 through six furlongs under jockey Rafael Bejarano and finished 16 lengths clear of third-place finisher Luck's Royal Flush. I Belong to Becky, Listing, Oliver, and Whooping Jay completed the order of finish.
The top two finishers were both six-figure purchases out of the Barretts Sale of 2-Year-Olds in April (Galilean brought $600,000 and Cruel Intention was a $200,000 buy). With the Golden State Juvenile victory Cruel Intention pushed his earnings to $140,000, while Galilean has earned $94,000. Cruel intention was bred by Premier Thoroughbreds, out of the Pleasantly Perfect mare Perfect Feat.