Condo Commander Off to Fast Start

At 12-1 on the odds board and off a series of four-furlong works that never cracked 50 seconds, first-time starter Condo Commando gave no indication she was about to blast off and win a 5 ½-furlong, $70,000 maiden claiming race by 12 lengths on Sunday.

Owned by Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables and The Elkstone Group, the 2-year-old Condo Commando engaged Militsa through an opening quarter-mile in 22.03 seconds, a half in 45.11 and then steadily separated from the rest of the field and came home in 1:03.82.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez was thrilled Monday morning with the effort, which received an 84 Beyer Speed Figure.

"I was expecting to run good - not that good," he said. "Maybe another My Happy Face [a graded stakes winner for Rodriguez, also by sire Tiz Wonderful], you know?"

Rodriguez risked Condo Commando being claimed, but he said it was worth it.

"That was easy for us to take a little chance like that," he said. "They paid $72,000 [for the horse]; it's Saratoga. A couple other horses looked good, but we liked her. Sometimes you have to make it easy for them. If we had run her in a maiden special weight, maybe she'd try too hard and not come back so good."

Rodriguez said Condo Commando has had some leg problems, and they didn't want to overextend her.

"Mike [Dubb] knows how to win races," he said. "He's been in the game so long. He gives us the opportunity to put the horses where they can win. Sometimes we lose. Sometimes we steal them like yesterday. That works."

Rodriguez said his mercurial 4-year-old Vyjack came back well after his fourth-place finish Saturday in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt.

Winner last year of the Grade 2 Jerome and Grade 3 Gotham, Vyjack has struggled this year. In his two starts prior to the Vanderbilt, he finished ninth in the Grade 1 Metropolitan and didn't finish in the Grade 2 Suburban at 1 ¼ miles. Cut back to seven furlongs for the Vanderbilt, Vyjack brushed the starting gate when the race began and then was steadied early before finishing with late interest.

"If he broke better, I don't know if we win it, but he could be a little more competitive," Rodriguez said. "He made up a lot of ground, especially coming off a mile and a quarter [in the Suburban], coming back to a sprint. I sharpened him up the best I could, but he didn't come out of the gate."

Rodriguez said he would shop for an overnight stakes to try and build some confidence in Vyjack in preparation for the Grade 1 Cigar Mile in November at Aqueduct. He also said there is a chance Vyjack could run in the Grade 1, $500,000 Forego at seven furlongs on August 30 at the Spa.

"He's got a lot of talent," Rodriguez said, "but he's got his own mind."