Freshman sire McCraken (Ghostzapper) got immediately off the mark with his first starter at Keeneland Thursday afternoon.
Drawn widest of all in post nine, Crackalacking (f, 2, McCraken–Sacred Moon, by Malibu Moon) forced the issue from an outside third, gained command around the far turn and blew the race apart from there to graduate by five lengths at odds of 18-1.
Extremely well-backed, rail-drawn firster Grand Oak (Ire) (Speightstown), off as the even-money favorite from a 6-1 morning-line quote for trainer Rusty Arnold, was a good second after a tough trip.
It was the first career wins at Keeneland for winning jockey Ferrin Peterson and trainer Sarah Hamilton, respectively.
After producing a colt by Klimt in 2021, the winner’s dam was bred back to that sire for 2022.
McCraken, a three-time graded winner and runner-up in the GI betfair.com Haskell Invitational S., stands for $5,000 at Airdrie Stud in Midway, Ky.
