Fonner Park, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND — It’s always good to have a Plan B.
Trainer Stetson Rushton and jockey Nate Haar had a Plan B for the second running of the $30,000 Elite Sprint Cup Saturday at Fonner Park.
“It was kind of a Plan B from what me and Stetson had talked about,” Haar said. “The six horse (General Shipman), I thought would go with the seven (Axel Steel). It worked out for us.”
It couldn’t have worked out much for Haar on Under Oath, a 6-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding.
“I thought there was plenty of speed,” Rushton said. “The two horse (Mo Summer) hooked us our last race, and then the six and the seven I really thought would go to the lead. When we were game planning, we were going to sit right off of them.
“I said let’s just sit right behind them and try to make one move and it worked out whenever those others didn’t go to the lead, we went to Plan B and it worked out.”
So Haar found himself in the lead, and there he stayed as Under Oath went wire-to-wire to win the 6 1-2 furlong race in 1:18.8, three lengths ahead of Charter Oak in second.
This race was exactly what Rushton had in mind when he claimed Under Oath at Zia Park in New Mexico for owner Donna Eaton for $15,000.
“We targeted him for these races up here,” Rushton said. “He’s a sprinter and they always run short races up here. I’m glad it worked out for them and everybody.”
Under Oath hadn’t had much luck at Fonner this year. He ran in the four-furlong Grasmick Stakes, but Rushton felt that wasn’t really the right distance for him.
He also ran in the Tondi Stakes, but Rushton said he got “wiped out” in that one.
“We got sent almost all the way to the four-furlong shute in the first turn,” he said. “We pretty much had to just throw that race out. He was pretty banged up after that.
“His last race he probably still wasn’t 100 percent. I was trying to get him a prep race for this race.”
But this race, Under Oath was ready to go. He paid $28.00, $10.60 and $4.40. Charter Oak paid $5.20 and $3.40 while Axel Steel paid $4.00 to show.
The win was Under Oath’s sixth in 22 starts and was worth $18,480 to bring his career earnings to $259,128.
Nebraska Gold wins Special Stakes
Jockey Kevin Roman took Nebraska Gold wire-to-wire to win the $25,000 Fonner Park Special Stakes, a race for 3-year-old Nebraska-bred colts and geldings.
“He broke very well,” Roman said. “I was on the inside. I saved a lot of ground and that made the difference. He was on the lead, I got to slow him down a little bit, had some horse left and stayed on the rail and he put me in the winner’s circle.”
Bob Huss, who owns the horse along with Jacob Huss, said the race lined up perfectly for Nebraska Gold.
“I felt he would try really hard and we had a really good rider on him,” Bob Huss said. “That’s all you all you can do. Everything worked out. The horse ran his heart out.”
It wasn’t the first stakes win for Bob Huss, who said he’s owned horses since 1977. He and co-owner Janet Ciboron won the Ogataul Stakes in 2017 with Call Me Bubba.
Nebraska Gold, trained by Kelli Martinez, paid $23.00, $9.00 and $3.60. They Call Me Moose, who came up the rail to challenge and finish second by half a length paid $6.80 and $3.20. P R Mo Vision, the post-time favorite, paid $2.20 to show.
Nebraska Gold covered the six furlongs in 1:15.40. It was his second win in six career starts and was worth $15,480 to bring his total earnings to $26,964.
