SARATOGA SPRINGS – Big excitement of getaway day was tight race for riding title, with Kent Desormeaux and Cornelio Velasquez tied at 43 each going into card, and 102G carryover that generated pick 6 pool of $973,475.
Rafael Bejarano was taken to Albany Medical Center after being shaken up when his mount, Marital Asset, threw him breaking through starting gate and running off before fourth race. His agent, Joe Ferrer, told Post that scans proved negative, and Bejarano was released yesterday evening. He’ll be back riding Friday when Belmont Park opens.
Anyone still alive in pick 6 who singled 4-5 favorite Makderah in eighth race, Grade 3, $100,000 Glens Falls at mile-and-three-eighths over inner turf, lost chance at big score when Makderah, John Velazquez up, tucked right inside behind pacesetting Mabadi with Rosinka lapped outside, took up sharply in traffic around far turn. Rosinka drew off, took bad step, then held on by neck; seventh winner of meet for trainer Graham Motion, second win of day for ship-in jock Jeremy Rose.
THIRD RACE: In 40th grass dash of meet, Velasquez went to front on 3-2 favorite Aly’s Tough, pressed inside by Ormsby’s Flag, when Desormeaux, on 4-1 Kid Doc, made sudden, bold move to blow by Aly’s Tough heading into turn and quickly opened daylight. Just when it looked like Desormeaux had blown doors off race, Velasquez came on again with Aly’s Tough. Cornelio won battle, but lost war; he and Kent were so intent trying to beat each other, they both lost when Body Blows, 19-1 debuting for Gary Sciacca, blew by them both up hedge in stretch under Eibar Coa. Pano’s Love, other half of Sciacca entry, got up for second, producing 2-2b place price of $31.
FIFTH RACE: Green dirt. That’s what turf courses here have become. Weather’s been so good at this meet, it’s actually been too good, as lack of rain has turned grass so hard, when horses run over it they kick up so much dirt and dust, it looks like smoke from prairie fire. On turf like this, speed holds up well; witness NY-bred Mission Approved winning Sunday’s Grade 3 Saranac gate to wire at 34-1. Here, in field of 2-year-old maidens going mile-and-sixteenth on lawn, Jeremy Rose, subbing for injured Edgar Prado, gunned 14-1 Big Brown, debuting for Pat Reynolds, to front from post 1, opened daylight lead chased by Globalization, who had daylight over rest of field. Heading into far turn, pursuers began to close gap, but around turn, Big Brown suddenly opened up again, then poured it on when straightened for home to win by 11 lengths.
Back at Belmont this fall, when turf courses figure to have much more give in them, look for stretch-runners like Wotan, who rallied for third in this spot, to improve over grass efforts at Old Spa.
PICK SIX
Winning numbers: 1-8-5-5-1-8
72 winners (5 of 6) each paid $8,227
1,586 consolation (4 of 6) each paid
$102.50
No carryover