BY BROCK SHERIDAN

MAY 10, 2003—Florida-bred Shake You Down won the Bold Ruler Handicap (G3) at Belmont Park in the middle of a five-race win streak that began with two allowance victories at Aqueduct in April and continued with the True North Breeders’ Cup Handicap (G2) on June 7 at Belmont and the Smile Sprint Handicap (G3) at Calder Race Course.

Assigned to carry 115 pounds in the Bold Ruler, conceding two pounds to Peeping Tom and Multiple Choice, Shake You Down was made the 9-5 favorite among the seven 3-year-olds and older going six furlongs.

Shake You Down was hustled from the outside post seven by jockey Michael Luzzi and was a length-and-a-half clear of Here’s Zealous in second through quick quarter-mile fractions of :22.14 and 44.65. Jockey John Velazquez cued Here’s Zealous at the top of the stretch to get within a half-length off Shake You Down in mid-stretch before the Florida-bred chestnut held sway to win by a length in 1:08.47 on the fast track. Here’s Zealous was easily second, three-and-a-quarter lengths clear of Peeping Tom in third. 

Shake You Down paid $5.60 to win.

Trained by Scott Lake for Robert L. Cole, Shake You Down was by Montbrook out of Mauvin Gway, by Rajab and was bred in Florida by Ocala Stud. The Bold Ruler was his tenth career victory from 29 starts. The first-place check of $65,040 increased his career earnings at the time to $313,760.

The Florida-bred Champion Sprinter of 2003, Shake You Down won seven of 13 starts with two seconds and two thirds with earnings of $829,160. In his last start of the year, he won the Grade 3 Gravesend at Aqueduct to push his career bankroll at the time to $998,560. He became a millionaire in his first start of 2004, winning the $300,000 Padua Stables Sprint at Santa Anita on Jan. 29.

Shake You Down ran his last race on Jan. 18, 2007 after 65 starts, 22 wins (six in stakes) with nine seconds and eight thirds and earnings of $1,442,014. In March of 2007, Cole retired him to Second Chance Farm at the Lowell Correctional Institution for Women in Ocala where he lived for 15 years before passing on Jan. 5, 2023. He was 24.

Return to the May 10 issue of Wire to Wire