Meteorito has taken off like a comet

At the age of five, Meteorito has taken his career to new heights, including a record-breaking performance yesterday over the Tapeta track at Gulfstream Park.

With Chantal Sutherland in the irons, the 5-year-old gelding by Gone Astray lowered the record for ‘about’ a mile and 70 yards on the all-weather surface to 1:41.75, winning the $48,000 allowance race by nearly two lengths. What makes the effort more mind-boggling is that Meteorito had been running in lower-level claiming races prior to the record-breaker, and had been taken for a tag in each of his previous three races – on Jan. 21, Feb. 26 and April 3.

Meteorito finished second in both the Jan. 21 and Feb. 26 races, receiving an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 90 in the latter. He then won on April 3 by 10 1/2 lengths with an 88 ‘E,’ and yesterday received a 92, his best figure in 17 tries to date.

Sutherland sat him fifth down the backstretch in the three path, opened him up on the turn, and Meteorito did the rest, drawing off without a challenge in deep stretch and paying $6.40. He boosted his record to 3-5-1 in those 17 starts and the $29,300 winner’s check raised his career total to $83,170, with $53,020 coming this year from just four starts (2-2-0).