Turco Bravo Turns it Around in Stymie
Facing a familiar field of older runners, the Chilean-bred Turco Bravo captured his first North American win in the $100,000 Stymie on Sunday at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Given a perfect trip by jockey Jose Ortiz, Turco Bravo avenged a trio of inner-track stakes defeats in the Evening Attire, Jazil, and Queens County, in which he finished behind Stymie entrants North Slope, Micromanage and Vyjack.
"Today, he got the trip," said Gary Contessa, who trains Turco Bravo for Winning Move Stable. "He got the perfect trip, and he'd been training great. He was in yesterday at Laurel, too, but we decided to scratch and run here. I think the more distance for him, the better. Those South American horses want to run all day long. Today was 1 1/8 miles, and I wouldn't mind seeing him at 1 ¼ miles, either. I liked the way he closed in his first race in this country [at Gulfstream Park West, October 2014]; the price was right, and we bought him looking ahead to the winter here. We went the whole winter without winning a stake with him, so I'm glad he got the chance to vindicate himself."
Sent off as the longest shot on the board at 9-1, the chestnut Turco Bravo sat patiently along the rail behind a sensible pace set by Cousin Stephen of 24.36 seconds for the opening quarter-mile, 49.13 for the half, and 1:13.99 for three-quarters.
Positions remained unchanged as the field turned for home, while Ortiz simply tilted Turco Bravo out a path for running room and took off after the pacesetter, collaring him a few strides before the wire. Turco Bravo, a son of Irish-bred sire Caesarion, prevailed by a half-length and completed the distance in 1:51.80.
"He broke good. I could've gone to the lead but I didn't want to," said Ortiz. "I just followed the No. 5 horse [Cousin Stephen] all the way, and I got a little room at the three-sixteenths pole. I decided to go and the horse responded very well."
Turco Bravo, who won 10 races in his native Chile before coming to North America last fall, returned $21.60 on a $2 win wager and increased his bankroll to $242,318.
Cousin Stephen finished second, two lengths clear of Evening Attire-winner North Slope. The Todd Pletcher-trained Micromanage and 9-5 favorite Vyjack completed the order of finish.