To view the Ack Ack Handicap, click here.

by Patrick Reed

Veteran turf campaigner Demarcation made his first dirt start since February 2007 a memorable one with a 1½-length score over longshot Glamour Guy in the $111,000 Ack Ack Handicap (G3) on Friday at Churchill Downs.

The five-year-old Gulch gelding split horses in midstretch under Jesus Castanon to post his first victory in more than 11 months, covering the one-turn mile in 1:36.15 on a track rated as fast.

Sent off at 10.70-to1 odds, Demarcation settled in seventh as 6-to-5 favorite Riley Tucker dueled with Grade 3 winner Spotsgone through an opening half-mile in :45.79. Stakes winner Greeley’s Conquest, who finished second in last year’s edition of the Ack Ack, engaged the leaders through the turn and battled with Riley Tucker along the inside as the eight-horse field entered the stretch.

Spotsgone also remained in contention and was joined by Glamour Guy on the outside, creating a wide-open race with a furlong remaining. Castanon guided Demarcation squarely between the top four contenders, and the gelding responded with a sustained rush to the wire to win going away.

“When we got to the half-mile pole, I knew Demarcation was going to get in the bridle and we’d have a big shot to get ‘em down the lane,” Castanon said. “This guy, he does it all. He always gives 100%, no matter what kind of track he runs on.”

Glamour Guy bested Spotsgone by a half-length for second, while Riley Tucker faded to fourth. Grade 2 winner Jonesboro, a career earner of $1,466,685, was rated in fourth in the early stages but never fired when called upon by Cliff Berry and finished last.

Owned by Amerman Racing Stables, Demarcation began his career on the dirt in December 2006 and raced on either a dirt or Polytrack surface for ten of his first 12 starts before switching exclusively to turf in spring 2008. He showed potential on the grass with several strong efforts in turf races in Kentucky and Illinois during his four-year-old campaign, capping off 2008 with a dead-heat first-place finish with Karelian in the River City Handicap (G3) at Churchill Downs on November 22.

In 2009, Demarcation continued to perform respectably in stakes races on turf for trainer Paul McGee but failed to return to the winner’s circle until Saturday in the Ack Ack. He improved his overall record to seven wins in 26 career starts, with earnings of $357,646. Bred in Kentucky by Canard Investments, Demarcation is out of the stakes-placed winning Boundary mare Divine Line, who is a half sister to Grade 2 winner Buy the Barrel and stakes winners Moore’s Flat, Surf n Sand, and Lady Skywalker.

For an Equibase chart, click here.

Patrick Reed is a Thoroughbred Times contributing writer