Court Dancer, Good Luck Gus Sweep Stakes for Rodriguez

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., trainer Rudy Rodriguez and owner Michael Dubb teamed up to sweep both stakes for New York-breds on Sunday at Aqueduct Racetrack, with Court Dancer going wire-to-wire in the $100,000 Broadway for filly and mare sprinters and Good Luck Gus outfinishing stablemate Royal Posse to win the $100,000 Haynesfield.

 

Court Dancer, who was claimed by Dubb for $40,000 in October, was sent straight to the lead by Ortiz in the Broadway, where she got away with an easy opening quarter mile in 24.06 seconds. The 5-year-old War Chant mare came under some pressure from Blithely and Myfourchix rounding the turn, but shook clear of those two once into the stretch and had just enough left to turn back a late charge from Willet to win by a neck.

 

Her time for the six furlongs was 1:10.79.

 

"She broke good and my filly went right along," said Ortiz of Court Dancer. "I just tried to relax her and we were able to go a little slow so we could save something for the end. Looking at the race on paper, the fillies we faced today would run at the end and she was ready when I asked her. Rudy brought her into the race ready and when I hit her left [handed] she came back in the stretch."

 

It was the first stakes win for Court Dancer, who in two previous starts for her new connections finished second in a pair of allowance races. Overall, she is 6-4-2 from 21 starts with earnings of $324,868.

 

Sent off as the 7-5 favorite, Court Dancer returned $4.90 for a $2 win wager.

Following Willet under the wire was Blithely in third, with Myfourchix, Make the Moment and Tricky Zippy completing the order of finish.

 

Three races later, Dubb and Rodriguez came right back to finish 1-2 in the 1 1/16-mile Haynesfield, with Ortiz guiding Good Luck Gus to a last-to-first victory over favored Royal Posse.

 

Sixth through the early going as Fox Rules took the field through an opening half-mile in 47.88, Good Luck Gus commenced his rally three-wide around the turn, and hit the wire a neck in front of Royal Posse for the win, his fourth in a stakes.

 

"I told Irad after the last time he ran [finishing third in the Alex M. Robb] to warm him [Good Luck Gus] up good and hopefully we can be closer to the pace," said Rodriguez. "The last time he ran we were a little bit more far back, but both of our horses ran big races so we're very proud of both of them."

 

Good Luck Gus, a 4-year-old son of Lookin At Lucky, extended his record to 5-3-1 from 13 career starts, including wins in the Albany, Damon Runyon and New York Breeders' Futurity, and boosted his bankroll to $582,096 with his first win of 2016.

 

He returned $7.90 for a $2 win bet.