Lord Nelson surges late to win the Grade 1 Triple Bend
In a division that has yet to identify a clear cut leader, Lord Nelson threw his hat into the ring as one of the best sprinters in the land with a win today at Santa Anita Park. The talented four-year-old son of Pulpit did so with a strong late surge that carried him to a narrow victory over Subtle Indian in the Grade 1 Triple Bend.
Sent off as the 2-1 second choice, and making just his second start for Spendthrift Farm, Lord Nelson came in off an impressive return the races, 22 days ago, when he smoked a solid allowance field by more than three lengths. The victory in his first race in nearly six months was accomplished in a shade under 1:08 for the six furlongs, pointing out the Bob Baffert-trainee as a colt who may be ready for something big.
He got his chance on Gold Cup Day at Santa Anita against a field with fast horses, but without a horse that could be considered a monster like we saw in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint. A Grade 1 ripe for the taking, Lord Nelson broke sharply under rider Rafael Bejarano. As expected, the third choice, Subtle Indian went right to the lead. Not setting the crazy fast fractions that he did in his first time in Southern California, Subtle Indian was rated on the lead, but hounded throughout by the sharp Lord Nelson.
Through fractions of :22.58 and :45.52, Lord Nelson stayed right off the flank of the early leader heading for the homestretch. Meanwhile, the race favorite, Kobe’s Back was launching an earlier than usual move on the far outside. As the fleet field of eight came spinning out of the far turn, it looked like anyone’s race. Subtle Indian proved game on the lead and actually spurted clear by more than a length. Kobe’s Back, who had gone wide on the turn to contend at the quarter pole, seemed to be spinning his wheels just a bit. That left it up to Lord Nelson to go get the leader.
He looked like he still might not get there at the sixteenth pole, but he found another gear late and surged at Subtle Indian in the final 50 yards. In an exciting finish, Lord Nelson zipped right on by to get his first Grade 1 victory by a half-length over the game pacesetter. Kobe’s Back could only manage a non-threatening third over Home Run Kitten. Final time for the seven furlongs over the fast main track at Santa Anita was 1:21.04.
“That was pretty game,” said the winning trainer, Baffert. “I didn’t think he was going to get there. He was trying so hard there at the end. It was pretty exciting to watch, more exciting to win. He’s come back so strong this year; that break really helped him. I think this is his distance, sprinting might be too short for him.”
The Triple Bend victory raised Lord Nelson’s lifetime mark to 11-5-1-1, with earnings of $598,271. Last year, he defeated Texas Red in the seven-furlong San Vicente. That was a Grade 2, and his biggest win until today. Now he is a Grade 1 winner.
With Private Zone scheduled to return next week, and Runhappy still trying to make his return at some point this year, Lord Nelson moves to the top of America’s sprint division. It will be interesting to see how long he can stay as the king of the hill.