John Curtin, a well known component of the Auckland Reactor syndicate AR Stable, has gone on the record in regard to the North American pari-mutuel debut of the six-year-old son of Mach Three

.

After a trio of victorious qualifying efforts at the Meadowlands Racetrack, 'The Reactor' contested a $32,000 Invitational Pace this past Saturday at the East Rutherford, New Jersey oval.

Coming in off a 1:51.2 qualifying victory, Auckland Reactor would go on to pace his mile in 1:49, but finished sixth to Real Joke, who paced the fourth fastest mile in Meadowlands history, a 1:47.3 performance.

"What happened on [Saturday] would be like a horse having his first start for the season in the New Zealand Cup, because they went that fast," Curtin has been quoted as saying in an article by The New Zealand Herald.

Curtin went on to say, "So when you realize that you understand he wasn't outclassed, he just needed the run." He was also quoted as saying, "He will have another one and then he should be ready for the bigger races."

Curtin also conveyed that neither driver Brian Sears or trainer Kelvin Harrison were upset with Auckland Reactor's performance Saturday.

(With files from The New Zealand Herald)