(November 29, 2008) – William Stiritz’s Proceed Bee collared favored Jack Spratt at the sixteenth pole and then held off Smart Shot in the final yards to win the $57,200 Grand Canyon for 2-year-olds by three-quarters of a length on Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs.
Proceed Bee, a Kentucky-bred gelded son of Bernstein, ran the 1 1/16 miles on a firm Matt Winn Turf Course in 1:46.61. The victory was the third in four career starts for Proceed Bee, who is trained by Terry Gestes. The winner’s share of $35,794 boosted Proceed Bee’s bankroll to $75,334.
Ridden by Miguel Mena, Proceed Bee returned mutuels of $44, $19 and $8. Smart Shot, ridden by Julio Garcia, paid $6.60 and $5.40 with Jack Spratt, ridden by Julien Leparoux, returning $3.20 to show in the field of 12.
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