The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
47°F
Current Conditions
Overcast clouds
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

Gelding Comes Up Golden Ought To Burn Rallies To Win 50th Running Of Playfair Mile

For Ought To Burn and his partisans Saturday at Playfair Race Course, a day that threatened disaster turned into a day of glory while leaving bettors panting after what may be the largest twin trifecta pool in track history.

The 5-year-old gelding, troubled by bad feet, capped his rise from obscurity by outfinishing several more accomplished rivals to win the golden anniversary running of the Playfair Mile.

Claimed for $2,500 at Great Falls, Mont., Ought To Burn reeled off his third straight win after a powerful stretch rally.

Ought To Burn, ridden by Vince Graffagnini, crossed the wire with a one-length lead. The two favorites, Secret Past and Royal Frolic, finished second and third, a half-length apart. Gotto Go Charlie, the runner-up in 1992 and 1993, placed fourth.

Ought To Burn’s rags-to-riches triumph almost never came to pass. Earlier in the day, the previously unraced 3-year-old, Secretsophar, bolted entering the backstretch, rolled over the outer rail and down an embankment, onto the roof of one the barns.

Ought To Burn, among the barn’s occupants, began kicking his stall wall in alarm. In the process, he lost a hind shoe and had to be reshod.

Surprisingly, Martin DeLuna, aboard Secretsophar, appeared to escape without serious injury.

Ought To Burn covered 1 mile in 1:40-4/5, an unimpressive time on the 5-furlong oval. However, the track was resurfaced with the addition of 600 cubic yards of sand since Monday, creating deeper, slower footing, although the track was labeled fast.

Ought To Burn paid $16.80 to win. The California-bred gelding, the only non-Washington-bred winner on the card, earned $9,570 from a purse of $17,400.

For the seventh straight race day, there were no winners in the twin trifecta. As a result, a pool of $99,666 will be carried over to today’s 11-race program. Today’s wagers are expected to swell the total to more than $125,000. The record of $129.810.80 was set earlier this season.

, DataTimes