Lochte Back to Winning Ways in The Vid

Crossed Sabres Farm’s Lochte obviously enjoyed a return to his favorite turf course at Gulfstream Park Saturday, but that doesn’t mean that he had everything his way while winning the $75,000 The Vid Stakes.

 

Bringing a 3-for-4 record that included a triumph in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (G1) into Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile stakes, Lochte had to call on a decided class edge to overcome serious traffic issues to prevail by a half-length. The 4-year-old gelded son of Medaglia d’Oro also benefited from a split-second decision by jockey Orlando Bocachica to win his first race since becoming a Grade 1 winner at Gulfstream on Feb. 9.

“He had a little traffic, but I was pretty confident coming into it. I thought he might have needed the race, but I figured, even needing it, he’d be on his game. He loves Gulfstream,” trainer Marcus Vitali said. “Today, he showed he’s a horse for the course.”

Sent to post as the 2-1 favorite in a field 10, Lochte was reserved off the pace while saving ground along the backstretch as longshot Mellow Fellow set a strong pace while being chased by defending champion Heiko. Bocachica was able to ease his mount off the rail to advance on the leaders leaving the backstretch, only to be blocked by a wall of horses. Forced to check repeatedly behind the slower rivals in front of him, Bocachica finally was able to ask Lochte for some run on the turn into the homestretch. Although it appeared that there might be a hole to shoot through, Bocachica jerked his reins and swung Lochte extremely wide around the leaders and his mount responded with a wide drive to open up a clear lead in mid-stretch. Dreams Cut Short, who started very slowly, made a late wide run under Edgard Zayas but ran out of ground.

“I was trying to get good position early and I wanted to wait a bit before moving, but then I got into some traffic and had to wait longer than I had to,” Bocachica said. “I was waiting, waiting…finally I got him out and he just carried me to the front.”

Lochte ran 1 1/16 miles over a ‘good’ turf course in 1:43.83. Mike Maker-trained Dreams Come Short, who came into the race off a third-place finish in a Remington Park stakes, finished ¾ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Grand Tito. Heiko, the defending champ, faded to ninth.

Following his Championship Meet campaign at Gulfstream, Lochte went on to finish a close second in the Kilroe Mile (G1) at Santa Anita and third in the Makers 46 Mile (G1) at Keeneland. He was winless in four subsequent starts at Monmouth, Belmont and Saratoga.

“He was really the class of the race. He had a few setbacks after he came back from Kentucky,” Vitali said. “We took our time with him, and it seems like time paid off.”

Vitali said no decision has been made for Lochte’s next start.

“I’ve got to talk to my boss and come up with a game plan,” he said. “We’ll find a spot.”