Ron Correll
Senior columnist
Tracksideview.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Lost Aptitude and Strike the Tiger went flying out of the gate when the latch was sprung in the Grade 2 American Turf Friday at Churchill Downs and quickly opened a six-length lead on the field but that didn’t scare Doubles Partner who waited patiently to pounce inside the eighth-pole to win the mile-and-a-sixteenth race in 1:41.05.

Lost Aptitude and Strike the Tiger were winging along through fractions of 23.41, 46.97 and 1:11.03 for six furlongs. The pair was more than seven lengths ahead at the half-mile pole before the rest of the field including Doubles Partner started to reel them in.

Doubles Partner grabbed the lead and then held firm as Asphalt tried to cut into his margin. The 3-year-old son of Rock Hard Ten was resolute and won by two lengths. Asphalt was three lengths in front of Guys Reward and Setsuko was four.

Doubles Partner came into the American Turf off an eighth-place finish in the Lane’s End on March 27 at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. Trainer Todd Pletcher took the blinkers off Doubles Partner for the American Turf. The colt has three wins out of seven lifetime starts.

He is owned by WinStar Farm and was ridden to victory by Garrett Gomez.

AMERICAN TURF QUOTES
 
GARRETT GOMEZ (Jockey, Doubles Partner): “I had a perfect trip, I really did. I was able to follow two horses that were following the leaders. I just followed behind them for the first three-eighths of a mile. I got to the second turn and I was actually going to move out around them. Just as I started to commit myself to go around them the horse Alan Garcia was on (Saint Eligius) started getting out real bad and left me enough room to drive my truck through. I slid up the fence after the leaders cleared out. You couldn’t have written a better script on how to ride both fences around the turns and be able to get out. It was a very nice trip and this was a good day to have it on.”
 
TODD PLETCHER (Trainer, Doubles Partner): “We thought early on he lacked a little focus, but he’s a lot more professional and settled now. We tried the Lane’s End … but he’s just better on the turf.  He’s stepping up at the right time and is an improving colt. At the head of the stretch, he looked like he produced a big kick at the right time. He’s a rapidly improving colt and he has some exciting and big turf races to come on the schedule this summer.”
 
JULIEN LEPAROUX (Jockey, Asphalt): – “I had a perfect trip. I got to move at the right time. But the winner was better today. Sometimes it is that easy.”
 
JOSE LEZCANO (Jockey, Guys Reward): – “He stumbled at the break on me and then we had troubles on the backside. I asked him and he gave me a pretty good run, but we were too far out of position.”
 
RICHARD MANDELLA (Trainer, Setsuko, race favorite): – “Rafael (jockey Rafael Bejarano) told me he was lost out there. That he was completely uncomfortable and never got in the race. I’ll tell you, I don’t think I’m going to be in a hurry to put him back on the grass.”