Toby's Corner Rallies in Whirlaway
Toby’s Corner rallied from last and on to a two-length victory over favored J J’s Lucky Train in the 32nd running of the $100,000 Whirlaway for 3-year-olds Saturday afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Ridden by Eddie Castro, the chestnut son of Bellamy Road broke sharply and was immediately taken back as J J’s Lucky Train went to the front and set fractions of 23.53, 48.80 and 1:14.03 over the muddy inner track. Guided to the outside rounding the turn, Toby’s Corner quickly moved up to engage J J’s Lucky Train in a duel just past the quarter-pole, and pulled clear in the final yards to hit the wire in 1:45.66 for the 1 1/16 miles.
“The only instructions I gave the jockey were to let the horse relax, and put him where he was comfortable, which is what happened,” said Adrian Rolls, assistant to winning trainer H. Graham Motion. “I thought he made a pretty good move around the bend, and though he would get there. It was a good effort.”
The victory was the third straight and first in a stakes for Toby’s Corner, who closed out his juvenile campaign with a 10 ¾-length maiden victory and opened 2011 with a 1 ¼-length win in an optional claimer, both one-mile events at Laurel Park.
Toby’s Corner, now 3-0-1 from four starts, elevated his earnings to $97,240 for owner Diane Cotter with the winner’s purse of $60,000. Sent off as the 9-2 fourth choice in the field of five, he returned $11.60 for a $2 win bet to his backers in the Big A crowd of 4,555.
“I think he’s a nice horse,” said Castro, aboard the colt for the first time. “And I think he’ll go the distance, too.”
The Whirlaway, the second in a series of route stakes for 3-year-olds in New York, is followed by the Grade 3, 1 1/16-mile Gotham on March 5 and the Grade 1, $750,000 Wood Memorial at 1 1/8 miles on April 9.
“We’ll see how he comes out of this before looking ahead to his next race,” said Rolls.
J J’s Lucky Train, who was second to Monzon in Aqueduct’s Count Fleet in his previous start on New Year’s Day, finished 3 ¾ lengths ahead of Preachintothedevil, with Arthur’s Tale and Rescind the Trade completing the order of finish. Sky Music and Norman Asbjornson were scratched.