Red Route One rallies to win Cornhusker Handicap

Well-traveled Red Route One, racing at his 12th different
track, closed from ninth place to win Saturday night in the 27th annual Grade 3,
$300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap.

Click here for Prairie Meadows entries and results.

Owned by Ron Winchell and trained by Steve Asmussen, the
4-year-old Gun Runner colt carrying the top weight of 120 pounds had his reins shaken by jockey Cristian Torres as
the field began the second turn of the 1 1/8-mile race. Circling his rivals,
Red Route One (7-2) was fourth at the top of the stretch. He kept making up
ground until he took the lead just four jumps from the finish line and won by
about a half-length.

The pacesetter Unload (66-1), an allowance-winning,
4-year-old gelding, held on to finish second. Ain’t Life Grand (9-2), a
5-year-old entire who was third in this race last year, crossed the line fourth
but was promoted to third, because he was forced to check when Velocitor (3-1)
lugged out and interfered with him in the deep stretch. Velocitor, a 4-year-old
gelding who won last year’s Prince of Wales at Fort Erie, was demoted to
fourth. Post-time favorite Hit Show (9-5), who finished fifth in the 2023
Kentucky Derby, finished out of the money.

The winning time was 1:49.62 over the fast main track on a
75-degree night in Altoona, Iowa. The early fractions were 24.00, 48.70,
1:12.77 and 1:37.23.

Red Route One paid $9.00, $5.20 and $4.40; Unload $43.20 and
$15.20; and Ain’t Life Grand $4.80.

A Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred, Red Route One came back
from a fourth-place finish last out in the Pimlico Special (G3) on May 17. Saturday’s
victory that lifted his career record to 21: 5-4-3 was his first since he won
the New Orleans Classic (G2) on March 23 at Fair Grounds.