Ashado's Half-Brother Wins Aqueduct Bow

Lauburu, a half-brother to dual champion Ashado, held on by a nose to graduate first out at Aqueduct on Saturday.

Purchased for $925,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, Lauburu stumbled slightly at the start, prompted the pace in second while racing outside of the early leader, took the lead under a drive with a furlong to travel, and out-nodded Break Up the Game at the wire.

Lauburu, the 9-5 favorite, was clocked at 1:24.50 for seven furlongs under jockey John Velazquez.

“Lauburu’s a very physically imposing horse,” said Jonathan Thomas, assistant to Todd Pletcher, who trains the 2-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song on behalf of Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, James Scatuorchio, and Derrick Smith. “He’s a horse we have high hopes for, and he has impressed us in the morning. With any young horse you don’t want them to get a lot of dirt in their face, and he was able to get a nice stalking trip. Johnny was working on him, but he’s a big horse and he’s maturing. He’s still growing a lot, in his head as well as physically.”

Pletcher also trained Ashado, who won the Grade 1 Spinaway as a juvenile and earned the 2004 Champion Three-Year-Old Filly title after adding Grade 1 successes in the Kentucky Oaks, Coaching Club American Oaks, and Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The following year she was named Champion Older Filly after winning the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Handicap, Grade 1 Go For Wand Handicap, and Grade 1 Beldame.

Ashado – a full-sister to Sunriver, a Grade 1 winner on the turf who was third in the 2006 Belmont Stakes, and Grade 3 victor Saint Stephen – retired with a record of 12-4-3 from 21 starts and more than $3.93 million in earnings.