London Lane pulls Colonial Turf Cup shocker
London Lane — the longest shot on the board — rallied down the outside to upset the G2 Colonial Turf Cup this evening at Colonial Downs.
The Maryland-bred gelded son of Langfuhr, out of the Miswaki mare Travelling, dawdled to the rear of the field for much of the 1 3/16 mile turf event. Rounding the turn, he began to move before having to idle behind horses briefly. Tipped out for running room, the six year-old closed stoutly to win by nearly a length — a margin that was widening at the end.
Rider Horacio Karamanos and trainer Larry Murray are all smiles after London Lane’s 50-1 win in the G2 Colonial Turf Cup. Coady Photography photo.
London Lane was one of only two horses to go off at 50-1 or longer in the first nine races today. He nearly doubled his career bankroll with the win, which marked his first stakes victory — heck, the first time he’d finished better than third — in seven added-money tries.
Hyper rallied for second, while early leader Swift Warrior held third. Post-time favorite Atigun and second choice Air Support were nowhere to be found, seventh and sixth, respectively.
The Sondra and Howard Bender homebred paid $102.60 to his few, but enthusiastic, backers. Trainer Larry Murray said after the race that the horse had been doing well in the days leading up to the event.
Jockey Horacio Karamanos, long-time king of Colonial Downs, said in a post-race interview that Murray “told me, ‘Don’t look at the price, he is OK.'”
Which qualifies as an understatement.
(Feature photo, by Nick Hahn, shows London Lane on the far outside.)
