A pair of Virginia-breds — Exaggerated and Rapid Rhythm — will compete in this afternoon’s $100,000 Giant’s Causeway Stakes at Keeneland while another horse bred by the Hare Forest Farm of Orange, Virginia will vie in the Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes earlier on the same card.
General A Rod winning the Gulfstream Park Derby. Photo courtesy Leslie Martin.
General a Rod was bred by Anne Poulson, who owns the Hare Forest Farm, and in 2014, the son of Roman Ruler was only one of three horses to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown — the others were California Chrome and Ride On Curlin. General a Rod finished 11th in that year’s Derby, 4th in the Preakness and 7th in the Belmont.
General a Rod (5), under Javier Castellano, competes in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 22, 2014.
He enters today’s stakes at Keeneland with $513,915 in career earnings from 15 starts. The Todd Pletcher trainee has a pair of starts this year — a win January 28th in an allowance optional claiming event at Gulfstream and a 9th place finish in last month’s Santa Anita Handicap. Out of the Dynaformer mare, Dynamite Eyes, the now 5 year old General a Rod is second early favorite at 7/2 and his race goes to post at 3:53 PM. That 7th race kicks off an All-Stakes Pick-4, which can be wagered via TVG.com, XPressBet.com and Twin Spires.com