Belmont at Big A: Legend of Time rebounds in Pennine Ridge

Legend of Time found a late opening in deep stretch to capture Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Pennine Ridge Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile, outer-turf test for 3-year-olds at the Belmont at Aqueduct spring meet.

Owned by Godolphin and trained by Charlie Appleby, the son of Sea The Stars rebounded from a pace-pressing, fifth-place finish in the American Turf (G2) on May 4 at Churchill Downs, where he made his stateside debut after three consecutive wins at Meydan in Dubai. He added to a stakes score two starts back in Meydan’s Jumeirah Classic on March 2.

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Ridden to victory by Hall of Famer Joel Rosario, Legend of Time bobbled slightly at the break from post 2 in the field of six and settled at the rear. White Palomino took charge along the inside with Cable Ready applying slight pressure in second through the opening quarter-mile in 23.67 seconds over the firm footing.

Flavien Prat-piloted White Palomino maintained his advantage into the backstretch, where Cable Ready kept close watch from second, and St James the Great rated three wide in third through the half-mile in 48.76 seconds.

Legend of Time patiently lingered in last as White Palomino came under pressure from Cable Ready heading into the final turn. St James the Great launched his wide bid with three-quarter of a mile elapsed in 1:12.98.

Improving to third at the stretch call, Legend of Time was in need of room in the two path. White Palomino was under threat from a game Cable Ready, and St James the Great evened out in the center of the course.

Legend of Time was loaded behind Cable Ready inside the final eighth of a mile, and a collected Rosario continued to ask his charge for his best in anticipation of a seam to open. The opportunity arose in the final sixteenth as Legend of Time bravely split rivals and took dead aim at White Palomino, edging clear late to nip his rival by a head with a final time of 1:47.73.

Royal Majesty got up in the final strides to secure show honors by a head over Cable Ready, 1 1/4 lengths behind White Palomino. St James the Great and Triple Espresso completed the order of finish. Risk Tolerance was a late scratch at the gate.

The first three finishers of the Pennine Ridge received automatic invitations to the $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational (G1), a 1 3/16-mile turf race for sophomores on July 6 at Belmont at the Big A.

Chris Connett, traveling assistant to Appleby, praised the expert ride from Rosario and the decision to take the winning colt well off the pace.

“Joel had him in a nice rhythm, and he was nice and relaxed compared to his last run at Churchill,” Connett said. “That’s what Charlie was hoping for, to get him in a good and relaxed rhythm. We know he’s a horse that always finishes off his races really strongly, so we had every confidence in Joel.

“Obviously, when you’re an eighth from the wire and haven’t quite got out yet, you have a little worry. But once the gap came, he quickened up nicely. He’s a smart horse.”

Rosario, who was aboard for the first time in the afternoon, said he was pleased with the trip he engineered.

“That worked out good,” he said. “I mean I was trapped inside there for a little bit. It looked like I had the horse, so it worked out good. The instructions were try to follow along, and hopefully he will relax, then go from there. It looked like he relaxed really nice, and I just had to find a place to go. He was the best horse in the race."

Bred in Great Britain by Lordship Stud and Sunderland Holding, Legend of Time was a $174,613 purchase at the Tattersalls October 2022 yearling sale and is out of the graded-stakes placed Danehill Dancer mare Kissable, who also produced Grade 1 placed Amandine. He banked $110,000 in victory while returning $3.80 on a $2 win ticket as the 4-5 post-time favorite.

Saturday’s victory marked the 11th graded win in New York for Appleby following past success with Althiqa in the 2021 Diana (G1) and 2021 Just a Game (G1), Nations Pride in the 2022 Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1) and 2022 Jockey Club Derby (G3), With The Moonlight in the 2022 Saratoga Oaks Invitational (G3), Ottoman Fleet in the 2023 Fort Marcy (G2), Siskany in the 2023 Belmont Gold Cup (G2), Eternal Hope in the 2023 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational (G3) and 2023 Sands Points (G2) and Silver Knott in the 2024 Man o’ War (G2).

Prat, aboard Chad Brown-trained White Palomino, said his horse ran admirably in his first effort against winners.

“The trip was good,” Prat said. “Once we fought those two back, those two on the outside, I thought the job was done. But the Godolphin behind us, he had the best horse.”