Waltzing Matilda Upsets New York Stakes
The Irish-bred Waltzing Matilda made her first start in America a
victorious one as she rallied from off the pace to upset a heavily
favored 1-5 entry, which included multiple graded stakes winner
Stephanie's Kitten, in the 72nd running of the Grade 2, $300,000 New York Stakes at Belmont Park on Friday.
The New York, which was contested by nine fillies and mares at 1 ¼
miles on a firm inner turf course, was part of the Belmont Stakes Racing
Festival as one of four stakes and two graded stakes on the Friday card. The Festival will be highlighted by Saturday's Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes and American Pharoah's quest for Triple Crown immortality.
In the New York, 22-1 choice Waltzing Matilda was ridden patiently by
Junior Alvarado as Kitten's Queen, entered with her Ken and Sarah Ramsey
homebred stablemate Stephanie's Kitten, did her job for trainer Chad
Brown by going to the front and setting the pace. But, Kitten's Queen
waltzed over the turf course under apprentice rider Eric Cancel as she
set pedestrian fractions of 24.48 seconds, 49.75, 1:14.43 and 1:37.76
through the first mile.
Selenite, the longest shot in the field
at 67-1, was second into the far turn with defending New York winner
Riposte close behind and Waltzing Matilda running comfortably in
mid-pack. When the field straightened for home, Waltzing Matilda had
improved her position to be sitting third and then took command inside
the sixteenth pole and kicked clear to cross the wire in 2:01.30.
"She
did it well and Junior gave her a great ride," James Stack, son and
assistant to trainer Tommy Stack. "The faster they went the better for
us, but they didn't go that fast. She got a good break there off the
lane. She's always gone well and Junior seemed to put her wherever he
wanted in the race and it worked out good."
Eastern Belle, a
13-1 choice, finished three-quarters of a length behind while Kitten's
Queen held on for third by a nose. Stephanie's Kitten, whose typical
late run came up short in her first race back from a long layoff, was
caught wide for most of the going and wound up a neck back in fourth
under regular rider John Velazquez.
"She
broke good and was nice and relaxed in a very good position," Alvarado
said. "As soon as I hit the three-eighths pole, I knew I had a ton of
horse and started working my way through. Every time I asked her, she
was there to help me. When we turned for home, I put her in the clear
and that was it. She gave me all she has and we got it done.
"I
came to see her three days ago and she did a little blowout here. I
watched all her replays from [Europe] and the way I saw it, she was kind
of an easy filly to ride," he said. "She showed it in the race. She was
nice to handle and when I asked her she was there for me. I was pretty
confident. I knew there was a top filly to beat, but I was trying to
follow [Stephanie's Kitten] all the way around. I had a lot of horse,
and after that I was worried about anyone else. I just wanted to get the
right trip for my filly and she responded very well."
While Stack was thrilled with the ride on the winner, the same could not be said for Brown.
"I
don't know what the rider on [Kitten's Queen] was doing," he said.
"Unfortunately our filly [Stephanie's Kitten] was seven wide the whole
way. Why, I had no idea."
Mrs. Paul Shanahan's Waltzing
Matilda, a 4-year-old daughter of Danehill Dancer out of the Gone West
mare Simidartha, returned $47.40 for a $2 wager. The win was her second
in 12 starts and improved her bankroll to $209, 883 with the $165,000
winner's share of the purse.
Stack
said that the plan for Waltzing Matilda was for her to be sold at
Keeneland in November but Friday's victory score may now change that.
Beauty Parlor, Riposte, Maximova and Selenite completed the order of finish.
Source: NYRA Communications