Trainer Rick Dutrow wins his 1st race after 10-year suspension
New York
Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., who had his racing license reinstated in February after an unprecedented 10-year suspension by New York racing’s governing bodies, won with the first horse he entered, which was in the sixth race at Belmont Park on Saturday.
On a beautiful sunny spring day, the Kentucky Derby day crowd cheered loudly as Dutrow got the victory with Prince of Pharoahs. It sounded like the fans were watching a closely contested stakes race.
“I love it,” Dutrow said through a grin. “I hope they keep cheering for us and betting on our horses. I love it.”
Dutrow claimed the 6-year-old gelding for $45,000 for a partnership that included Sanford Goldfarb. When the betting opened on Prince of Pharoahs, he was a heavy favorite at odds of 3-5 but his odds floated up and were 3-1 as the race started. The New York-bred faced a field of seven horses in a first-level allowance against open company.
Right out of the starting gate, Dutrow’s horse was in contention and battled with Bezos, who would gradually leave Prince of Pharoahs alone on the lead. He won by 4 1/2 lengths.
“He won pretty easy, man,” Dutrow said. “I’ve been telling Sandy (owner Goldfarb) for the past couple weeks, I said, man, he’s showing us that he’s happy. All we had to do was pick the right spot.”
When Dutrow was asked about how he feels about his return he said, “I’m very happy. As long as my horses are happy, I’ll be happy. It’s a tremendous feeling being back. I got my first win at Belmont, a track that I love. So, it’s all good.”
Goldfarb had his best years as an owner before Dutrow’s suspension from 2000 to 2008.
“Ten years of being away from racing. The guy (Dutrow) never has a bitter word about it," Goldfarb said. "He got a bad rap, OK? A bad rap. We all know it and he never says a word.”
For now, Rick Dutrow is back in the winner’s circle and looking ahead.
“I have 15 horses with more coming, and this win will excite the owners to put up more money to get more horses,” explained Dutrow. “We’re very happy, man.”