AFTER not winning a race in nearly 22 months, eight-year-old bay gelding Crimson turned back the clock and won his 14th career race on Saturday, January 6, 2024.

Ricardo Mathie, one of the newly licensed trainers, deserves all the credit for Crimson’s victory in a three-year-old and upward claiming ($750,000-$600,000) race going seven furlongs.

Crimson’s last win was achieved on March 27, 2022, when he defeated Supreme Soul by 2 3/4 lengths at one mile. Crimson was being trained by Gary Subratie at the time.

Crimson failed to ignite any flame for the remainder of the 2022 racing season and during his 14 starts in 2023, while Subratie grew frustrated.

On September 10 last year Subratie lowered Crimson to the $750,000 claiming level at which he finished second over a mile behind Bern Notice, but no one took him.

Crimson was raced again by Subratie farther down the claiming ladder, this time at the $550,000 level, and came second over 7 1/2 furlongs on December 17. Mathie claimed the bay gelding on that occasion.

It only took Mathie less than a month to get Crimson into his groove.

Racing Crimson in the claiming class above, ridden by Bebeto Harvey, Crimson outbattled Storm by half-length in the seven-furlong event in a time of 1:28.1.