Belmont at Big A roundup: Tarifa sets pace, wins Mother Goose

Godolphin Kentucky homebred Tarifa served as the pacesetter and went stride for stride with the favored Gun Song in the stretch before holding on for a victory by a head in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Mother Goose Stakes, 1 1/8-mile route for 3-year-old fillies at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet.

Dual Eclipse Award-winning conditioner Brad Cox, who was at Keeneland to watch Hit Show win the Hagyard (G2), and jockey Flavien Prat employed a different strategy for Tarifa. She had sat off the early speed in each of her first eight starts, including a last-out, 3 3/4-length third in the Cotillion (G1) in September at Parx. There she traveled off the pace in the event where re-opposing Gun Song was beaten by a neck by division leader Thorpedo Anna.

Click here for Belmont at Aqueduct entries and results.

This time Prat sent his charge to the front as she led a compact, five-horse field through early fractions of 24.08, 48.86 and 1:13.49 on the fast main track.

Gun Song, trained by Mark Hennig and ridden by Hall of Famer John Velázquez, was in a stalking second position in the early going and into the second turn. Once straightened for home, the front pair went eye to eye into the final sixteenth with Tarifa maintaining the slight edge along the inside and Gun Song unrelenting from her outside. Pretty Ana, who was squeezed at the start, put in a late bid from last with the surge from the far outside making an exciting finish as Tarifa held her lead, completing the course in 1:50.78.

Dustin Dugas, assistant trainer to Cox, said that Tarifa also overcame a lost front right shoe in the resilient effort.

"Leaving the gate she took a little stutter step there and grabbed somebody's heel and pulled a shoe. It was a very game effort,” Dugas said. “A good head's up ride by Flavien. He said in the paddock if he could get to the lead and take it to her (Gun Song), he was going to. He did just that.”

Gun Song held off the oncoming Pretty Ana by a head for second with Dorothy’s Dreams finishing fourth and Headline Numbers completing the order of finish. Call Another Play, Life Talk and Just Music were scratched.

Prat said the victorious Bernardini dark bay had enough early speed to counter the troubled beginning.

“I wanted to try to change things around and get her into the race. She jumped very well, and I don't know. I think I clipped somebody's heel on the outside, so I lost a bit of momentum. She was still fast enough to make the lead,” Prat said. “After that I thought she was traveling well. Top of the lane it looked like I'm beaten, and she showed some good fight.”

Tarifa registered her third graded-stakes win this year following scores in the Rachel Alexandra (G2) in February and the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in March ahead of a ninth-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Following a post-Oaks respite, Tarifa returned to action in August with a second-place finish in the seven-furlong Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park prior to the Cotillion.

"Flavien said after the race that she's a different filly now and more handy. The team down in Kentucky were saying the same thing that she's a handy little filly,” Dugas said. “She's been here only a handful of days, and we've seen that as well."

Off at 2-1, Tarifa returned $6.10 on a $2 win wager. She improved her career earnings to $801,925 through a 9: 5-1-1 record.

Runninsonofagun is promoted to win in Bold Ruler

Runninsonofagun crossed the wire second but was elevated to first after a stewards’ inquiry that ruled My Buddy B caused interference in the stretch run of the $175,000 Bold Ruler (G3), a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up.

In the stretch, My Buddy B maintained the lead as Runninsonofagun, under Hall of Famer Joel Rosario, challenged from the outside. My Buddy B, ridden by Luis Rivera Jr., deviated from a straight path as the two linked up in the final furlong and bumped his rival inside the final sixteenth.

My Buddy B completed the course in a 1:09.42 final time a nose to the better of Runninsonofagun. After the inquiry My Buddy B was disqualified and placed second. That decision made Runninsonofagun, who is owned by Karen Zimmerman, a winner for the first time in his last nine starts dating to the 2022 Bold Ruler.

Out of the break Little Vic led the seven-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 22.60 seconds on the fast main track. My Buddy B took command with the half-mile going in 45.73 and five-eighths in 57.40 seconds.

Turning for home My Buddy B had daylight to the finish line from the middle of the track. But Rosario, who already had registered two wins on the card, used an aggressive hand ride as Runninsonofagun gained ground from the far outside.

After the stretch duel the stewards subsequently ruled that, “in the stretch run, My Buddy B was directed out to make contact with Runninsonofagun, who was knocked off stride but managed to rally back and only miss by a slight margin resulting in the disqualification.”

Twenty Four Mamba finished third followed by Little Vic. Top Gunner, Surveillance and even-money favorite Scotland completed the order of finish.

Rosario said he was impressed with his charge’s last kick.

“He did everything good. It looked like I was passing that horse and he came over a little bit in the last part,” Rosario said. “My horse kind of lost a little balance there and just got beat by a head. That is sometimes how it is. We were coming by. That little touch, he kind of lost a little balance, a little bit, but we got beat by a nose.”

Off at 16-1, Runninsonofagun returned $34.00 for a $2 win wager. The 5-year-old son of Hall of Famer Gun Runner improved to 20: 5-3-6. He also increased his career earnings to $567,865.

Trainer John Toscano Jr., who conditioned his first winner in 1979, won his third career graded-stakes race with Runninsonofagun accounting for two of them in this particular race.

“He was surging past him (My Buddy B), and that other horse came out and bumped him and knocked him off stride, but he didn't give up, because after the wire, he was by him again,” Toscano said.

The trainer said Runninsonofagun is rounding his way into form after significant time off from April 2023 to May 2024. Toscano also said the listed Fall Highweight on Nov. 29 at Aqueduct is in play.

“He was injured, and I had to lay him up. It took him a while to get back into gear,” he said. “His first couple of starts he was a little flat, but he progressed and got better and better. Hopefully, he’s now back where he was.

“We’ll keep him here for the winter. There’s a lot of winter stakes, and we can pick our spots. We lost by a neck in the Fall Highweight two years ago.”

My Buddy B, owned and trained by Krista Hetrick, finished in the money for the fifth time in the last seven starts.

“I just tried. I felt the horse on the outside, and I was trying to get another reaction from my horse,” Rivera said.

3rd time is charm for Coastal Mission in Forty Niner

Coastal Mission had placed twice previously in graded stakes. He can now call himself a graded-stakes winner after overtaking Nelson Avenue with a stretch-drive move from the outside, posting a one-length victory in the $250,000 Forty Niner (G3), a one-turn mile for 3-year-olds and up.

A West Virginia-homebred for owner-trainer Jeff Runco, Coastal Mission had made three previous trips to Aqueduct, finishing fifth in the 2023 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2), fourth in the one-mile listed Stymie in March and second in the seven-furlong John A. Nerud (G2) in July when finishing 1 1/2 lengths behind next-out Forego (G1) winner Mullikin.

On Saturday, Coastal Mission with jockey Arnaldo Bocachica was content to sit off the early speed as Nelson Avenue led the eight-horse field through early fractions of 22.86, 45.70 and 1:10.51 over the fast main track. Jockey Dylan Davis attempted to complete the gate-to-wire bid, but Bocachica capitalized on daylight from the outside and picked off three rivals once straightened for home, completing the course in a 1:36.10 final time.

Nelson Avenue held off a charging Winit by one length for second. Repo Rocks finished fourth. Jefferson Street, the slight favorite, finished fifth, while Film Star and Stage Raider completed the order of finish. Multiple graded-stakes winner Messier, returning from a nearly six-month layoff, was pulled up in the stretch run and reported to have bled from the nostrils. He was provided a ride back in the equine ambulance.