Preakness qualifier: Copper Tax starts poorly, still wins Tesio
After stumbling to his knees at the start, it took the length of the stretch for Copper Tax to find the lead. Rose Petal Stable’s multiple stakes winner came with a steady run down the center of the track to reel in stubborn pacesetter Speedyness and edge clear by three-quarters of a length in Saturday’s $125,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park.
The 1 1/8-mile Tesio for a ninth straight year served as a win-and-you’re-in qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds to the Preakness on May 18 at nearby Pimlico.
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“I don’t know. It’s a stretch, but we’ll see,” winning trainer Gary Capuano said of Copper Tax, one of the eight Tesio horses who was nominated to the Triple Crown. “We’ll see how he comes out. He’s not a big horse. We’ll make that decision in a week or two. He’s always showed the talent.”
Capuano previously ran third in the Preakness with Captain Bodgit in 1997 and eighth with 2003 Tesio winner Cherokee’s Boy.
Twenty-three Tesio winners have gone on to run in the Preakness including last year’s winner Perform, trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey. Maryland-bred Deputed Testamony in 1983 was the lone horse to sweep both races.
Happy Saver won the Tesio in 2020 for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher as a prelude to his next-out victory over older horses in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). Runners-up Ruler On Ice in 2011 and Monday Morning Qb in 2020, respectively, went on to capture the Belmont Stakes and Maryland Million Classic.
Speedyness, who led early in both his win in the Miracle Wood and his third-place finish in the Private Terms, was on the lead again Saturday after Jaime Rodríguez took him from the rail post. He raced uncontested through early fractions of 24.07 and 47.21 seconds with only 45-1 long shots Malinois and Classic Joke within range.
Copper Tax recovered from his awkward start from outermost post 10. Under J.G. Torrealba, he settled well behind before rolling into contention following Inveigled’s move as six furlongs went in 1:11.90. Speedyness continued to dig in up front and went one mile in 1:38.55, resisting a relentless Copper Tax, but the winner proved too much.
“Coming out of a gate made us a little bit nervous for a second, but he came back in and held his ground, and little by little he gained more steam, which is great,” Rose Petal’s Chris Loso said. “And as always, he finished with a bang.”
Speedyness was a decisive second, 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Inveigled, who edged late-running Carolo Rapido by a head. They were followed by Startswithadream, Celtic Contender, Circle P, Classic Joke and Malinois in that order. Mission Beach was scratched.
“I was watching (Speedyness) on the lead, and nobody was going with him, so that’s not good. But he just kept sustaining that run,” Capuano said. “Last time was a sloppy track, muddy, he likes that kind of stuff anyway. The field was solid. Everyone on the dirt today, it wasn’t muddy, so he did it again.”
Copper Tax has won 7 of 10 starts including four stakes. Three of those were at Laurel, including the 2023 James F. Lewis III, the 2024 Private Terms and Saturday’s Tesio.