The Pilgrim Stakes Recap
- Tuggle- Jose Lezcano/ Jeremiah Engleheart
- Went to the lead right away, but had pressure from the outside horses all the way down the backstretch. Halfway through the turn he was headed and eventually finishing last and looked dead tired down the stretch. Distance might be an issue.
- No Word- Jose Ortiz/ Todd Pletcher
- No word broke a step off but nothing crazy and was shuffled back before getting settled. It was an uncomfortable trip all around. He eventually got out and wanted to run but could never get clear sailing. Finished well for 5th but could have won if he had a cleaner trip, bet next time out.
- Andesite- Javier Castellano/ Brad Cox
- Andesite was the upset performance in this race. I didn’t see him being this game down the stretch and almost coming back to win but losing by a head. He was loaded on the rail all the way around the track and when he got some running room he fired but he just wasn’t the best on the given day.
- No Lime- Junior Alvarardo/ Bill Mott
- No Time just did not like anything related to turf. I think he might just go back to dirt. Never got going.
- Maxwell Esquire- Dylan Davis/ Christophe Clement
- Maxwell Esquire looked strong coming into the race but came up tired. He pressured the pace all the way around and when it came time to collaring the leader he just came up flat down the stretch.
- Our Country- Manuel Franco/ George Weaver
- Our Country looked like a winner all the way around, but just couldn’t catch the top 2. No real excuses for him either, he just wasn’t good enough. Watch out for him in future races.
- Structor- Irad Ortiz Jr./ Chad Brown
- Nothing screams stakes victory like Chad Brown, Turf, and Irad Ortiz Jr. This horse took the lead about a 1/16th out and never turned back. Held off Andesite on the rail and looked strong doing it. Nice little colt.
- Famished- Joel Rosario/ John Kimmel
- Famished also surprised me a little. He was close all the way around and held on for 4th. Joel Rosario got as much as he could out of this colt as well.
- The Gray Blur- Kendrick Carmouche/ Christohper Davis
- Kendrick never got this horse fully going because he never could get the lead. Once the lead was someone else’s, The Gray Blur just trotted around and never got going. Probably was outclassed but I am just not sure.
The Durham Cup
- The Great Day(ARG) – Patrick Husbands/Arnauld Delacour
- The total opposite of what I thought was gonna happen with this horse happened. I thought Patrick Husbands was gonna have him sit off and then go for the win down the stretch but The Great Day went for the lead early and took them all the way around. However the #4 Special Forces gave him a run for his money down the stretch and somehow The Great Day fought back and came back up the rail to win by a nose.
- Say The Word- Rafael Hernandez/ Gail Cox
- Never really got going today but went on to run 4th and finished strongly and gamely down the stretch. Just got nipped out of third place by Thor’s Rocket.
- Thor’s Rocket- Justin Stein/ Paul Buttigieg
- Thor’s Rocket didn’t necessarily hang today but he didn’t win. He ran on to run 3rd and hold off Say the Word for 3rd. Was just never enough.
- Special Forces- Alan Garcia/ Kevin Attard
- No excuse for him today. Should of went by and won today but hung and got nosed out for the win. Alan Garcia had the best horse but the horse just gave up at the wire. Bad head bob for a tough 2nd place finish.
- Aheadbyacentury- Luis Contreras/ John Ross
- A total Toss for me was right. This horse ran horribly and finished last. Never was in the race and was about 10 lengths back when the leaders hit the wire. Never understood how the horse could of been 7/2 ML.