Poster clings to victory in Remsen over Aviator Gui

Dec 07, 2024 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

For the second time in a week, Godolphin and trainer Eoin Harty have won a 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby series prep with a colt going turf-to-dirt.

Seven days after First Resort pulled off the win in the Nov. 30 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs, Poster replicated the feat on Saturday in the $250,000 Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct.

Unlike First Resort, though, Poster had no prior racing experience on dirt ahead of the Remsen, which at nine furlongs is the longest open graded juvenile stakes in the U.S. Poster entered the Remsen with a 2-for-2 record, winning an Ellis Park maiden and a Keeneland allowance.

'He's got a dirt pedigree, and it wasn't actually his first, well it was his first run on dirt, but he trained on dirt prior to coming to me,' Harty said. 'Considering his pedigree, I know the family's ins and outs, and I didn't think he'd have a problem with it and I'm glad to be proven right.'

The Kentucky-bred Poster is a son of Munnings and Pin Up, a daughter of Tapit and Broodmare of the Year Cara Rafaela, who produced Hall of Fame champion and classic winner Bernardini.

Sent off as the fourth choice in a field of six, Poster trailed early, advanced to fifth and raced in that position for a half mile and then made a swooping bid for the lead entering the stretch. Although Poster opened up a two-length advantage in mid-stretch, that lead was whittled down to a nose at the finish as Aviator Gui nearly pulled off the upset after racing a bit erratically in the stretch.

'When I turned for home, I figured it was going to be a long way by myself,' jockey Flavien Prat said. 'He got to the eighth pole and started looking around and felt like the job was done. He regrouped nicely when that horse came.'

With this victory Prat set a new single-season record for stakes wins by a jockey with 80. Prat tied the record of 79, set by Irad Ortiz Jr. in 2022, earlier on Saturday aboard Tizzy in the Sky in the Go for Wand (G2) at Aqueduct. Prat also tied Jerry Bailey's record mark of 55 graded stakes win in a season, set in 2003.

Poster covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.37 over a fast track and paid $11.60. Aviator Gui finished three lengths clear of pacesetter Tux, who was followed by Studlydoright, 9-10 favorite Keewaydin, and outsider Gun Trader.

Aviator Gui is trained by Chad Brown, who for the third time in the last four years has trained the Remsen runner-up who lost by a nose. The others were Zandon (2021) and Sierra Leone (2023), both of whom went on to become Grade 1 winners and place in the Kentucky Derby.

'Our horse having to wait a bit and then lugging in didn't help himself,' Brown said. 'He might have been able to have a different result if he ran a bit straighter, but the winner did everything right and was a deserving winner today. He ran a very professional race, and we'll just have to go back to the drawing board with our horse.'

All save Gun Trader earned Kentucky Derby qualifying points. Poster secured 10 points, Aviator Gui five points, Tux three points, Studlydoright two points, and Keewaydin one point.