Curlin: Street Life Earns Travers Shot
Street Life punched his ticket for the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga Race Course on Friday afternoon as he swept widest of all on the turn and on to a 1 ¾-length victory over Five Sixteen in the $100,000 Curlin for 3-year-olds.
Making his first start since a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 9, Street Life settled in sixth as Love to Run took the field through an opening quarter-mile in 23.64 seconds, with favored Easter Gift ranging up to get a head in front as the half went in 47.68. Given his cue by jockey Jose Lezcano on the far turn, Street Life moved up quickly to engage the leaders, and after being floated four-wide on the turn, barreled down the sloppy stretch to take command approaching the eighth pole and galloped unchallenged under the wire.
“When I asked him at the quarter pole to swing out, he gave me a good [run],” said Lezcano. “It doesn’t matter how wide he goes.”
Street Life’s time in the 1 1/8-mile Curlin, a prep for the $1 million Travers on August 25, was 1:50.68 over the sloppy/sealed track.
“It worked out beautifully,” said Chad Brown, who trains Street Life for Magnolia Racing Stable and Hidden Brook Farm. “Jose rode a good race, kept him a little closer today, [which] we talked about. With that horse, if you give him the opportunity to be a little lazy, he’ll take it. We’re getting to figure this horse out, and Jose executed it perfectly. I was optimistic he would handle the mud.”
Five Sixteen, fifth in the Belmont, was 2 ½ lengths ahead of Ever So Lucky, who was followed by Easter Gift, Reload and Love to Run. Morgan’s Guerrilla and Politicallycorrect were scratched.
Dominick Schettino, trainer of the runner-up, and Hall of Famer Nick Zito, trainer of the beaten favorite, indicated the 1 ¼-mile Travers was only a possibility for their colts.
Street Life, who won the Broad Brush at Aqueduct Racetrack in March and was subsequently third in the Resorts World Casino New York City Wood Memorial, is now 3-0-1 from seven career starts. The son of 2007 Travers winner Street Sense returned $6.30 for a $2 win bet as the 2-1 second choice in the race, and earned $60,000.