Take The Points and Starlight Stables Support The Race For Education

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Take the Points inched past Black Bear Island (Ire) near the finish after a thrilling duel to win the $400,000 Secretariat Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Arlington Park.

The first of three Grade 1 races on Arlington’s International Festival of Racing, the Secretariat got the sequence started with a bang as Take the Points and Black Bear Island battled stride for stride through the final quarter mile. Black Bear Island appeared poised to hold off Take the Points, but the Even the Score colt would not be denied in the final strides under Kent Desormeaux, prevailing by a head on yielding turf.

Starlight Partners’ Take the Points completed 1 1/4 miles in 2:05.41 to post his first career graded stakes win after previously placing twice in graded stakes. He finished fourth, beaten by 1 1/2 lengths, in his turf debut for trainer Todd Pletcher in the Colonial Turf Cup Stakes (G3) on June 20th and entered off a runner-up finish on July 18th in the Virginia Derby (G2), both on the grass at Colonial Downs.

With a Grade 1 win under his belt, Take the Points appears to have found a home on turf.
“He is a wonderful horse. He has a great stride and showed it throughout the race, and really had a strong stride down the lane," Desormeaux said. "He was comfortable down the backstrech and had a ton of fight at the end.”