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Lahudood takes her walk down Victory Lane after winning the 2007 Flower Bowl Invitational. |
With less than four weeks before the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Monmouth Park, many potential entrants are making their final preps this weekend. Four stakes events on the turf with possible Breeders' Cup implications were contested at Belmont Park on Saturday, before a live crowd of just 6,609.
The fillies break from the gate in the Flower Bowl Invitational |
18-1 outsider Rosinka was allowed an uncontested lead first time past the stands and around the clubhouse turn through fractions of 24.76, 49.13, and 1:12.74 over the firm course, while as many as 1 1/2 lengths clear of Wait a While stalking her in second. Turning for home, jockey Garrett Gomez aboard Wait a While asked her to close the gap and she did, pulling even with the pacesetter after 1 mile in 1:35.97. However, 21-1 Lahudood, who had tracked Wait a While in third the whole way, found room on the rail and came through to get the win by just 3/4 length over Rosinka, who held off Wait a While in the final strides to hold second place by 1/2 a length.
Check out the other races on Sunday: Jockey Club Gold Cup, The Beldame, Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational, and The Vosburgh.
# Horse Jockey Win Place Show 1 Ladudood Garcia 44.40 16.40 8.20 7 Rosinka Rose 14.20 7.10 6 Wait a While Gomez 2.90 $2 Exacta (1-7) paid 565.00 $2 Trifecta (1-7-6) paid 2,161.00 $2 Superfecta (1-7-6-2) paid 19,509.00 Winning Time: 1:59.05Results Chart |
Lahudood in the winner's circle. Her trainer Kiaran McLaughlin (far left of photo) said, " On her European form, (Lahudood) was the better one (than stablemate Makderah, out with an injury). This was the first time everything went perfect. She wants to be covered up and make a run on firm ground. (Shadwell Farm racing manager) Rick Nichols told me that the boss didn't send her over here to be an allowance horse. Alan gave her a great ride today. It wouldn't be a problem if we had to supplement
her (to the Breeders' Cup)."
Jockey Alan Garcia celebrates his first Grade 1 victory aboard Lahudood. He said, "I was down inside. I was watching (Wait a While) the whole time. I knew Garrett had some horse. Around the turn, I just tried to be patient. In the stretch, there was some room to go inside, so I sent her through. She really responded. She ran so good."
Second place finisher Rosinka heads out of the paddock before the race. Her trainer H. Graham Motion said, "It
was a very good effort. It's not exactly how we wanted it to set up. In
an ideal world, I would have liked to have seen her have a target. I
think she is a little better stalking. We'll have to talk about the
Breeders' Cup. She's not nominated, and she is a very difficult filly to
saddle, which worries me at Monmouth."
Third place finisher and beaten favorite Wait a While in the paddock. Her trainer Todd Pletcher said, "Garrett doesn't feel she handles this turf course quite as well as she does some others. We'll still go on to the Breeders' Cup with her."
Her jockey Garrett Gomez said, "I thought I sat a good trip. I got her on her feet and she was able to relax. I thought we were going pretty comfortably. When it came time, she really didn't seem to jump up on the bridle. Maybe this will be a springboard forward. Both times I rode her on this turf course, she ran sub-par."
It was a cavalry charge down the stretch in the 2007 Kelso Handicap. |
27-1 outsider Jet Propulsion battled on the pace with English Colony down the backstretch and around the far turn through fractions of 23.45, 45.79 and 1:09.15, while as many as 3 lengths clear of the rest of the field. Jet Propulsion began to fade from contention at the 3/16 pole allowing English Colony a brief lead in mid-stretch, but their fast pace set the race up for the closers. Trippi's Storm, who had raced in 6th early, came out four wide into the stretch and closed with a rush to get up by 1/2 a length over another late runner and favorite After Market in 1:32.36. It was another 1 1/2 lengths back to 11-1 Palace Episode in third.
# Horse Jockey Win Place Show 6 Trippi's Storm Castellano 12.60 5.10 3.90 5 After Market Solis 3.20 2.60 1 Palace Episode Samyn 5.50 $2 Exacta (6-5) paid 42.00 $2 Trifecta (6-5-1) paid 334.50 $2 Superfecta (7-6-1-10) paid 3,373.00 Winning Time: 1:32.36Results Chart |
Trippi's Storm in the winner's circle. His trainer Stanley Hough said, "We never really knew this horse's best distance. Obviously, a mile fits him pretty well. We would have to consider the Breeders' Cup (Mile). Obviously, it will be very tough. We'll see how he comes out of it. He ran back a little quick this time, and that would be a little quick
again. But it worked this time. I thought the pace was good, and he seemed to settle in nice. Javier rode him great: he saved some ground and angled out."
Jockey Javier Castellano celebrates the win aboard Trippi's Storm. He said, "There was enough pace and
my horse settled down beautiful for me. I told Stan we would probably
have to come from farther off the pace, and just let the speed go. He
ran beautiful today and beat some nice horses. If he is in the Breeders'
Cup, I would love to ride him."
Second place finisher and beaten favorite After Market in the post parade. His jockey Alex Solis said, "He ran incredible. They ran fast the whole way and he finished up good. This should get him set up nice for the Breeders' Cup. I thought he showed a lot today, shipping across the country and running the way he did."
Third place finisher Palace Episode in the post parade. The 11-1 shot raced well off the pace in 8th early under regular rider Jean-Luc Samyn, passed tiring horses along the inside on the turn, and closed well through traffic to get up for third beaten just 2 lengths. The Saeed bin Suroor trainee improved his record to 4 wins, 0 seconds and 1 third in 9
career starts with earnings of $356,532 for owner Godolphin Racing.
The Leopard in the winner's circle. His trainer Todd Pletcher (far left of photo) said, "We were looking to find out about the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. We had to run him back a little sooner than we wanted to, just to see where we were. We thought he was a little better colt than what he showed in the Futurity, and he's got so much turf in his pedigree. We worked him last week with Red Giant, who won the Virginia Derby, and they worked head and head. The fractions were very realistic for him. The impressive part was the way he finished. He finished the last quarter in 22 seconds, that's what we were looking for."
His jockey John Velazquez said, "He just broke running. He
relaxed himself; I didn't have to do much. We got to the 1/4 pole, I
showed him the whip, spanked him, and he came home real nice."
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