Officer Rocket Gets ‘Last Laugh’ for Dead Heat
From Bloodhorse.com
(from Arlington Park report) Officer Rocket and Got the Last Laugh hooked up inside the sixteenth pole and finished dead even in the $200,000 Arlington-Washington Breeders’ Cup Futurity (gr. I) for 2-year-olds at rainy Arlington Park Sunday.
The duo stopped the timer in 1:36.71 for the mile on sloppy going to record the second dead heat in the 72-year history of the race. The first Futurity dead heat came in 1937. Mark Guidry rode the Bob Holthus-trained Officer Rocket, while Rene Douglas piloted the Bill Mott-conditioned Got the Last Laugh.
“I thought I was in a good spot early, and then he kicked in when I asked him,” said Guidry. “I thought I had the other horse at the wire, but then they were real quick to put the dead heat up.”
“I was trying to stay with Nafzger’s horse (Street Sense) early and then, when I got by him on the outside, he started waiting for another horse,” said Douglas, who had the lead by a head at the eighth pole. “He just likes a little competition, but he’s a little horse with a big heart and he’s going to get even better.”
It was the third straight win for Frank Fletcher Racing Operations’ Officer Rocket, a British-bred son of Officer—Ocean View (Gone West) who earned $80,000 to boost his bankroll to $127,050. The chestnut colt, a $190,000 Ocala buy in March, improved his overall record to three wins from four starts.
Sent off the 9-10 post-time favorite, Officer Rocket, paid $2.40, $2.40, and $2.40. Got the Last Laugh, off at odds of 5-1, paid $4.20, $4.40 and $3.60. Street Sense returned $3.