Kelly Brinkerhoff and Bob Grayson Jr.'s consistent 6-year-old gelding Restrainedvengence kept to his task and overhauled favored Neptune's Storm to notch his first graded stakes victory in the $100,500 American Stakes (G3T) June 20 at Santa Anita Park.
Trained by Val Brinkerhoff and ridden by Tyler Baze, Restrainedvengence completed the mile on firm turf in 1:33.87. The son of Hold Me Back crossed the wire a half-length in front.
Longshot Sash gunned for the lead from the outside post 6 and set fractions of :22.91, :45.88, and 1:09.34 through six furlongs. Neptune's Storm tracked him while second 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Restrainedvengence, who sat third around the clubhouse turn.
Heading to the quarter pole, it appeared Neptune's Storm, who was ridden by Flavien Prat, had matters in-hand as he reeled in Sash and took charge turning for home.
But Restrainedvengence had plenty left to say, as he wheeled three-deep at the top of the lane while about two lengths off the lead and gradually gained the ascendency inside the sixteenth pole to win going away.
"First of all, I'm most thankful to have Tyler stick with the horse because I haven't been able to get anyone to stick with my horse," said Val Brinkerhoff. "He likes him and he's come to know him, to a win a graded stakes at Santa Anita for me, is just the best thing that ever happened for a long time."
Restrainedvengence was a $67,000 purchase by Bobby Grayson from the Bettersworth Westwind Farms consignment to the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He holds a 9-4-3 record from 31 starts, has earned $768,182, and has a total of seven stakes wins.
"When I first got him and broke him, I mean he's been a handful, but you love him because he's so good. He's just hard to deal with, when he wants to do something, I just give up and let him do it and then we go back and start over," Val Brinkerhoff continued. "I think his attitude has made him be a champion because he wants to do what he wants to do and he loves to run."
"He always tries," said Baze. "We kind of figured out a couple of things with him a couple of races ago, and he was real primed to run a huge race today. I won on him before in New Mexico and I had the chance to get back on him this year. He's done nothing but try hard and just been a great horse for Val."
Idle since Sept. 7 and in his first start for Peter Miller, Neptune's Storm appeared to have perfect trip but couldn't go late with the winner, who returned $8.80 on a $2 win wager. Tiz Plus was third and followed by Majestic Eagle, Sash, and Border Town.
Restrainedvengence was bred in Kentucky by Westwind Farms out of the multiple stakes-winning Red Ransom mare Cupids Revenge. The mare has also produced stakes winner B G Suavecito, graded stakes-placed Latent Revenge, and stakes-placed Party Town, a 4-year-old who is her last foal.
