Aqueduct roundup: Zulu Kingdom is 3-for-3, wins Pilgrim

Post-time favorite Zulu Kingdom earned his second graded-stakes victory to remain undefeated through three starts, winning on a wet Saturday in the Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile, outer-turf route for 2-year-olds at Belmont at the Big A.

For his victory, Zulu Kingdom was awarded a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Nov. 1 at Del Mar. The Pilgrim was part of the win-and-you’re-in challenge series.

Click here for Belmont at Aqueduct entries and results.

Owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, William Strauss and Michael Caruso, trained by four-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown and ridden by Hall of Famer Joel Rosario, Zulu Kingdom entered from a successful stateside debut in the With Anticipation (G3) on Aug. 29 at Saratoga. That was where he won by a neck with a stalk-and-pounce trip engineered by Flavien Prat. He was a winner of his June debut in France when in the care of conditioner Andre Fabre before being purchased privately and moved to the U.S.

The son of Ten Sovereigns emerged well from post 4 of eight. Noble Confessor broke sharpest from the inside, and Fully Authorized stumbled significantly to trail in last. Zulu Kingdom was prominent and part of an early, four-way scramble for command heading into the first turn. He steadied a touch as Jose Lezcano-piloted maiden Flying Mohawk assumed control through the opening quarter-mile over the yielding footing. A timer malfunction prevented the first three quarter splits from being recorded.

Zulu Kingdom tracked a patient fifth up the backstretch as Smooth Breeze inched up to race in tandem for the lead with Flying Mohawk, who showed the way to the half-mile call with Noble Confessor under a snug hold from Irad Ortiz Jr. just behind in third.

Approaching the turn, Zulu Kingdom steadied again as he raced behind a wall of rivals, and Rosario was in need of room as the pair of Concord Green and Fully Authorized ranged up on his outside. Meanwhile, it remained a head-and-head battle at the helm between Flying Mohawk and Smooth Breeze as they reached the three-quarters call. Brown-trained Early Adopter loomed large to their outside as they straightened for home.

Rosario made his move and angled Zulu Kingdom out and around the rivals ahead of him and then roused him in the five path. Noble Confessor attempted to advance to the inside of Early Adopter with Flying Mohawk reluctantly throwing in the towel.

There were a few tense moments near the sixteenth pole as all-out Smooth Breeze veered out sharply to close off the path of Early Adopter, forcing him to steady hard and drift back to fifth. Despite the commotion to his inside, Zulu Kingdom remained focused inside the final yards to the wire and drove home strongly to collar Smooth Breeze and fend off the bid of Noble Confessor by a neck with a final time of 1:48.67.

"He went on,” Rosario said. “It looked like he was just playing in there, and yeah, just a good effort from him."

The resilient Early Adopter re-rallied under Manny Franco to get his head down for show over Smooth Breeze, who was a head better than Flying Mohawk. Without Caution, Concord Green and Fully Authorized completed the order of finish.

Brown, who won his fourth Pilgrim, praised Rosario’s expert handling as Zulu Kingdom is well on his way to the Breeders’ Cup in California.

"He ran great even though he got steadied on the backside. Joel did the right thing covering him up and bided his time. It got a little tight in there,” Brown said. “I was happy to see him handle the soft ground. I wasn't sure. It looks like a nice setup for the Breeders' Cup. He's always struck me as a horse that might be even better at a mile with more pace. He's been able to get the job done the last two starts with two good rides and he keeps moving forward. I think we'll see the best of him at a flat mile.”

Bred in Ireland by Ecurie Peregrine, Zulu Kingdom earned $110,000 in victory, boosting his total purse earnings to $222,607. He returned $3.70 on a $2 win ticket.

In U.S. stakes debut, Mufasa scores in Vosburgh

Mufasa, a Group 3 winner in his native Chile, made his U.S. stakes debut a winning one under Ortiz in the $250,000 Vosburgh (G3).

In capturing the seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, the 5-year-old Practical Joke dark bay earned a win-and-you’re-in berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

Owned by Carlos Saavedra and Stud Vendaval and trained by Ignacio Correas IV, Mufasa made his first two stateside starts in optional-claiming sprints, finishing a pace-pressing sixth in his June debut traveling 6 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs ahead of a 3 3/4-length win last out over multiple graded-stakes winner Repo Rocks going seven furlongs on Aug. 12 at Colonial Downs.

“I think it was impressive. We were expecting something big from him,” Correas said of the Vosburgh effort. “I’m not sure if that is big. The only question was the surface. He’d never run on the slop. He did everything good, like usual, like good horses do.”

Dean Delivers, who arrived on a four-race, all-stakes win streak, broke alertly from post 4 under Jaime Rodriguez and set splits of 23.13 and 46.47 seconds over the sloppy and sealed footing with Mufasa tracking to his outside in second position.

Mufasa loomed large in the turn while advancing with little urging from Ortiz to take command at the top of the lane with Scotland launching his wide bid under Junior Alvarado. But there would be no denying Mufasa, who. with a shake of the reins and a couple taps of the crop, crossed the wire a comfortable 4 1/4-length winner with a final time of 1:22.51.

Scotland completed the exacta by 2 3/4 lengths over Dean Delivers with Baby Yoda, Seven’s Eleven and Lord Miles rounding out the order of finish. Comedy Town was scratched.

Looking ahead to the Breeders’ Cup, Correas said he would consider both the six-furlong Sprint and the Dirt Mile as potential next targets for Mufasa.

“Sprint, Mile, I don’t know. I have to talk to the owners,” Correas said. “He’s going to Breeders’ Cup if everything is OK, so we’ll see. ... We still have time to think and look into it. We still have a little bit more than a month.”

Bred by Haras Paso Nevado, Mufasa banked $137,500 in victory while improving his record to 13: 10-0-0. He returned $5.20 for a $2 win bet as the mutuel favorite.

Far Bridge shuns War Like Goddess in Turf Classic

Far Bridge surged to double up on top-level scores and deny War Like Goddess a third consecutive win vs. males in the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1), a 1 1/2-mile, inner-turf test for five 3-year-olds and up.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the 4-year-old English Channel bay utilized front-running tactics for the first time last-out to win the $750,000 Sword Dancer (G1) on Aug. 24, at Saratoga. On Saturday, Far Bridge came from off the pace under Rosario to earn his third career Grade 1 victory, also having captured the Belmont Derby Invitational in July 2023 at its namesake oval.

Far Bridge, bred and initially campaigned by Calumet Farm, launched his career with Clement with a pair of wins at Gulfstream Park early last year before being purchased privately and transferred to the care of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. He made five starts for Pletcher, including the rallying Belmont Derby score, before rejoining Clement’s stable for his current campaign.

"After the last race, everybody said he stole it which slightly surprised me, because I thought everybody had the chance to beat him from the quarter pole to the wire, and nobody out finished him. He actually out finished everybody,” Clement said. “I didn't think he stole anything, and he proved today he didn't steal anything, because he came from off the pace and managed to win the race.”

Far Bridge broke alertly from the outermost post 5 and traveled in fourth position outside of Emmanuel. They trailed pace-setting Get Smokin and tracking Silver Knott with War Like Goddess at the back of the field under Junior Alvarado through an opening quarter-mile in 24.34 seconds over the yielding going.

Far Bridge settled into fourth position behind Get Smokin, Silver Knott and Emmanuel as the field passed the wire in a 49.05-second half-mile, and the order remained unchanged in the second turn and up the backside as the pacesetter rattled off fractions of 1:14.17 and 1:40.79.

Entering the far turn Silver Knott took over on the lead from tiring Get Smokin, and War Like Goddess advanced into second position with an early move from last. As Get Smokin retreated, Far Bridge was shuffled back nearing the three-eighths pole, but Rosario quickly found clear air.

"When Get Smokin was coming back, he got checked, but Joel made a great decision by keeping him on the inside again,” Clement said. “He's a top-class horse, and he's always been a top-class horse for us. We thought he was a top-class horse as a young 3-year-old, and we think he's a top-class horse as an older horse.”

In the final turn Silver Knott tried to hold off oncoming War Like Goddess with Far Bridge still giving chase after 1 1/4 miles in 2:06.73. War Like Goddess collared Silver Knott by the stretch call, but Rosario found a seam to their inside, and Far Bridge gained rapidly on the new leader.

Full of momentum to the inside, and despite the heart of the multiple Grade 1-winning multimillionaire War Like Goddess, Far Bridge prevailed by a half-length with a final time of 2:32.22. It was 4 1/4 lengths back to Silver Knott in third with Emmanuel rounding out the superfecta and Get Smokin completing the order of finish. Daunt and Truly Quality were scratched.

“Everything was a little different today, but he was able to put everything together and win the race. He’s a horse that can do both,” Rosario said. “It looked like on paper there was more speed today. The fractions were a little different than last time, and when they go that fast, he can sit behind it, so that worked.”

Owner Randy Sarf of LSU Stables said he was impressed with what he saw from Far Bridge, adding he would be a tough customer in a possible next start in the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

"He can be anywhere, any place, any time. He loves the rail the most, but he can be on the outside or even on the lead if he needs to. He can come from the back if he wants to. He is in top form right now, and he is ready to win the Breeders' Cup,” Sarf said. "We'll give him a nice little rest and he'll go out to California, and we're going to win the Breeders' Cup.”

Clement confirmed that the 1 1/2-mile event will be the goal.

"Absolutely. We have to go and train him for that. We'll worry about that starting tomorrow morning," said Clement.

Bred in Kentucky, Far Bridge, out of the winning Kitten’s Joy mare Fitpitcher, banked $275,000 in victory while improving his record to 13: 6-3-2 and returning $7.90 for a $2 win bet.

Tapit Trice rallies, wins Woodward

Tapit Trice splashed home to a three-quarter-length victory under a well-timed ride from Dylan Davis in the $400,000 Woodward (G2), a 1 1/8-mile route for four 3-year-olds and up.

Owned by Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable and trained by Pletcher, Tapit Trice notched his second graded score of the year and rebounded from an even fourth last out in the 1 1/4-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on Sept. 1 at Saratoga. The 4-year-old son of Tapit returned from an 11-month layoff in July to capture the Monmouth Cup (G3), adding to scores as a sophomore in the Blue Grass (G1) and Tampa Bay Derby (G3).

"It was a big run from him today,” Pletcher said. “I was hoping there would be an honest pace. I was a little bit concerned about that, looking at the race on paper. It seemed like it took him about 100 yards to get his legs under him, but then he got into a comfortable rhythm and really closed resolutely to get it done. He was determined today."

Tapit Trice emerged a step slow from post 3 in the field as post-time favorite Skippylongstocking broke sharpest of all from the inside post under Manny Franco. The favorite’s advantage was short-lived as Kendrick Carmouche coaxed long shot Masqueparade from the outside post to take command entering the first turn, marking an opening quarter-mile in 23.36 seconds over the muddy and sealed footing.

Tapit Trice trailed in last behind stablemate Crupi as an eager Skippylongstocking settled behind Masqueparade, and the quartet raced in an even line up the backstretch. Masqueparade bounded through the half-mile in 47.05 seconds, and Davis made his move aboard Tapit Trice, sending him up the inside of Crupi as Ortiz angled Crupi to the three path.

Skippylongstocking was given his cue midway through the final turn as Masqueparade tired to his inside, causing the progressing Tapit Trice to steady and for Davis to angle him out for his bid after three-quarters of a mile in 1:11.87.

Crupi put in a mild run widest of all at the top of the lane but already was in an all-out drive as Skippylongstocking was still well clear at the eighth pole. Despite the favorite seeming to draw off to a sure victory, Tapit Trice refused to yield and dug in with every stride to close the gap in the final eighth with the mile elapsed in 1:37.31. Leg-weary Skippylongstocking gave his all under left-handed encouragement from Franco but could not fend off the rush of Tapit Trice, who reached the wire first with a final time of 1:50.09.

It was 13 1/4 lengths back to Crupi in third with Masqueparade completing the order of finish. Kay Army was scratched.

Tapit Trice has made three outings at the 1 1/4-furlong distance, finishing third in last year’s Travers (G1) at the Spa in addition to his last-out fourth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and a rallying seventh in last year’s Kentucky Derby. Pletcher said it is likely he’ll make his next start at that distance in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

"We've always felt he was a Classic-type horse, so I'll talk to the Whisper Hill team about it,” Pletcher said. “We were certainly going into this hoping to run a race that would earn his way in. It certainly looked like he did that today."