Bobby Sands Surprises in Third Round of Don K. Series
Bobby Sands and Hoosier Park’s leading rider Leandro Goncalves turned in a mild upset to take home the top prize in the third round of the $30,000 Don K. Memorial Starter Handicap Series Wednesday, Sept. 14. The duo covered the one-mile distance in a time of 1:36.0 over a fast track.
Starting from post two in the six-horse field, Goncalves worked on getting Bobby Sands out of the gate alertly and keep him near the front horses during the early stages of the race. He’s Dangerous and Marlon St. Julien took over early on and made a strong statement to stay on the front while Dontlaffhespaidfor and Orlando Mojica kept the pressure on from the outside. Bobby Sands followed along through a majority of the race before making any sort of movement to the front.
In the stretch, Bobby Sands began to emerge as a potential leader and began to pressure the top pair. Halfway through the stretch, the six-year-old son of Gulch went head to head with Dontlaffhespaidfor. The duo battled gamely all the way to the wire before Bobby Sands was able to inch in front of his opponent in the final strides to take home the title by a head bob. Bullnose Brick and Terry Thompson rallied up for third.
“He (Bobby Sands) is a lazy horse and you have to keep the bit up in his mouth the entire time,” said Goncalves. “The trainer (Frank Kirby) told me before the race not to stay too far back and to keep after him. When I asked him to run, he responded very well and finished the race strong.”
Owned by Avers Wexler’s Wexler Racing Stables, Bobby Sands recorded his second win in five starts over Hoosier Park’s oval. He was also a winner in the Don K. Series last year on Indiana Derby Day. The Kentucky bred picked up his ninth career win and boosted his career earnings to more than $229,000. Frank Kirby trains Bobby Sands, who lit up the tote board with a $22.60 win payoff to his backers.
“I didn’t think he (Bobby Sands) looked bad in that race at all on the form,” said Goncalves. “I had never ridden him before, but he was competitive in the second round of this series.”
The fourth round of the Don K. Memorial Starter Handicap Series is slated for Wednesday, Oct. 5. The $30,000 race will be contested at one and one-sixteenth miles. The final leg of the series is set for closing day Sunday, Oct. 23 running at a distance of one mile and one-eighth.
Bobby Sands with jockey Leondro Goncalves
Photo by Linscott Photography