Under Control Sharp in Advance of Baruch
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Photo:
Chelsea Durand/NYRA
With Under Control picking up his first career stakes win as a 7-year-old in the Lure Stakes on August 8, trainer Graham Motion hinted it might have been his best race to date from 19 starts. Most recently, he breezed five furlongs in 1:02.34 on the turf on August 28 heading into Monday's Grade 2, $250,000 Bernard Baruch.
"I thought he won kind of impressively to be honest," Motion said. "He's always a horse I thought was capable of winning a stakes race. It was rewarding because Ms. [Charlotte] Webber has always been really patient with him. I think both his races this year have been really good races, he was a little unlucky the first time he ran this year at Belmont but it seems like he's improved this year. It made sense to keep him up here and point him to the Bernard Baruch. This is a big step up and a much tougher race obviously, but he had one work here on the grass last week and is doing well."
"I thought he won kind of impressively to be honest," Motion said. "He's always a horse I thought was capable of winning a stakes race. It was rewarding because Ms. [Charlotte] Webber has always been really patient with him. I think both his races this year have been really good races, he was a little unlucky the first time he ran this year at Belmont but it seems like he's improved this year. It made sense to keep him up here and point him to the Bernard Baruch. This is a big step up and a much tougher race obviously, but he had one work here on the grass last week and is doing well."
Motion is also preparing for the debut of Sherini in Sunday's sixth race. Sherini, a My Meadowview Farm homebred, is a daughter of Bernardini and half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Shackleford. The full field also features Carella, a sibling to multiple graded stakes winner Bernardini for Godolphin Racing and trainer Tom Albertrani.
"It must be the most talked-about maiden race," said Motion lightheartedly. "She's a beautiful filly; she's laid back and very kind. The reason she's in there is because it's seven-eighths and she needs the distance. I knew they like to write longer maiden races towards the end of the meet. She's been up here for about three weeks with a race like this mind. I think she's going to need the racing experience but she's ready to run and she's done everything she's needed to do. Hopefully down the road she'll be a very nice filly."
"It must be the most talked-about maiden race," said Motion lightheartedly. "She's a beautiful filly; she's laid back and very kind. The reason she's in there is because it's seven-eighths and she needs the distance. I knew they like to write longer maiden races towards the end of the meet. She's been up here for about three weeks with a race like this mind. I think she's going to need the racing experience but she's ready to run and she's done everything she's needed to do. Hopefully down the road she'll be a very nice filly."
* * *
When he claimed Royal Posse for $20,000 in May, trainer Rudy Rodriguez was hoping to get at least two starts out of the 4-year-old gelding at Saratoga. He wound up with three, capped by a nose victory over Saratoga Snacks in Friday's$100,000 Evan Shipman.
"We ran the horse three times and we don't usually like to do that, but the horse likes Saratoga," Rodriguez said. "He was fresh. I was trying to keep the horse fresh all along to see if we could get maybe two races here. We got three out of him, two wins and a second, so that was good."
Royal Posse has banked $122,400 in his three Saratoga starts, all at 1 1/8 miles, since being taken out of a neck loss going one mile May 31 at Belmont Park. He finished second by a half-length to Sea Raven on opening day at the Spa, July 24, then came back to win a similar optional claiming allowance spot by 2 ¾ lengths.
"He ran a very good race the day we took him," Rodriguez said. "We took a chance and ran him a mile and an eighth. It looks like he likes the mile and an eighth, so it was easy for us to keep him at [the distance]. Here is the only place you can run mile-and-an-eighth horses. It was one of the reasons we took him."
In the Evan Shipman, Royal Posse stalked multiple stakes winner Saratoga Snacks through moderate fractions of 25.37 seconds for a quarter-mile, 50.14 for the half and 1:14.10 for six furlongs before moving up to challenge. They raced stride-for-stride down the center of the track before Royal Posse won a head bob at the wire.
Also finishing behind Royal Posse was Zivo, a Grade 2 winner who was fourth in his first start off a 10-month layoff following the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic.
"I don't know if we can beat Zivo again. It was a little hard for Zivo today, but Zivo is a really nice horse," Rodriguez said. "Saratoga Snacks is a very, very gamem horse. We just got lucky to get his head down."
Rodriguez is looking ahead to the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet, which opensNovember 4, for Royal Posse, owned by Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables and Gary Aisquith.
"We're going to keep him fresh and maybe run him at Aqueduct now," Rodriguez said. "He deserves a little break, I believe. Hopefully, Mr. Dubb gives me a chance to keep him fresh for Aqueduct and take it from there."
For the meet, Rodriguez entered Saturday's card fourth with 14 wins, adding 12 seconds, nine thirds and $904,138 in purse earnings from 72 starts, also winning the $250,000 Albany with Good Luck Gus August 28.
The Rodriguez-trained Magna Light, disqualified from first to second for interference in the Grade 3 Sanford July 25, blew out three furlongs in 35.20 seconds for Monday's Grade 1 Hopeful.
Source: NYRA Communications
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