Giant Run Captures Manila Victory
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Photo:
NYRA/Susie Raisher
Robert Baker and William Mack's Giant Run pulled away from a crowded field in the stretch to capture a 1 ½-length victory in Monday's $100,000 Manila for 3-year-olds on the Belmont Park Widener turf.
Trained by Tom Albertrani, Giant Run registered a winning time of 1:32.85 for one mile. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez posted his fourth victory of the day in leading Giant Run past Strike Midnight and Rappel for his first win at Belmont.
Giant Run is now 3-3-1 in 10 career starts and has finished first or second in five of his last six races.
"He's a pretty versatile horse," Albertrani said. "I know usually he's broke and been on or near the lead, but today it's just how the race unfolded. He broke sharp and just kind of ended up mid-pack.
"Johnny settled him great in a perfect spot and things went well from there. I still haven't figured out what his best distance is - I don't know if he'll go further or shorter - but we'll take a look how he comes out of the race and plan around that."
The 7-1 betting choice returned $16 on a $2 win wager as his career earnings improved to $247,560.
Too Discreet, trained by Christophe Clement, set the early fractions of 22.82, 45.99 and 1:09.87. But Giant Run stuck close before going two-wide and taking the lead just outside the eighth pole.
"It was perfect," Velazquez said. "The other horse [Too Discreet] went to the lead like we anticipated and I sat right off of him. He relaxed well behind that other horse, and when I asked him, he exploded, so it was very nice. I liked the way he did it."
Strike Midnight checked in second with Rappel taking third. Life Imitates Art, Conquest See Ya, Too Discreet and Dig Deep completed the order of finish.
Earlier in the card, Velazquez rode Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Comfort past favorite Touchofstarquality in the stretch and finished 3 ¼-lengths clear to win the $100,000 State Dinner for 4-year-olds and up on the main track in Race 4.
The Todd Pletcher-trained bay colt hit the wire in 1:40.76 for 1 1/16 miles for his third consecutive victory and fourth in the last five starts. Comfort has won three of his four starts since Pletcher took over as trainer, including two straight at Belmont.
"That's back-to-back races that he's won here," Pletcher assistant Byron Hughes said. Johnny did a great job of guiding him to the outside and when he kicked home, he looked good."
Off at 2-1, Comfort won for the fourth time in six starts and returned $6.40 on a $2 win wager and improved his total earnings to $169,340. He has won both starts in 2016 following a 6 ½-month layoff.
The son of Indian Charlie stayed off the pace as Touchofstarquality, trained by Michelle Nevin, set opening fractions of 23.49 and 46.41 seconds. Velazquez moved Comfort from the four-path to the outside near the eighth pole as he stayed ahead of stablemate J S Bach and moved past Touchofstarquality.
"He broke well and then half-way down the backstretch he picked it up pretty quickly," Velasquez said. "I didn't want to let him fall too far back. I just had to make sure I was close enough within range of the leader to make a good run and he did. At the quarter-pole I was right on him.
"When he started asking me in the stretch, he had something else," he added. "He's been good so far and hopefully maybe he can also get two turns [at Saratoga]."
Touchofstarquality, the even-money favorite, finished second under leading meet rider Jose Ortiz. It was his ninth in-the-money finish in 10 career starts.
J S Bach, Elnaawi and Dontbetwithbruno completed the order of finish in the State Dinner's first running.
Source: NYRA Communications
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