Pocket Cowboys took charge out of the gate in the Kingston and refused to fold, while Gitchee Goomie got up
in time to take the Mount Vernon, resolving a
pair of $100,000 New York-bred turf races Sunday afternoon at Belmont Park.
In the Kingston,
Pocket Cowboys broke alertly and led the field through an opening quarter-mile
in 23.54 and a half in 47.42. Pressed by Lubash throughout, he dug in and edged
clear to prevail by 1 ½ lengths, stopping the clock at 1:34.38 for a mile over
firm turf.
The winner paid $10.80 as the third choice in the field of
eight.
“We tried to go to the lead and slow it down, and it seems
to have worked out beautifully,” said winning jockey Edgar Prado. “He was in
control and finished strong. He’s a game horse, and if someone challenges him,
he always gives a little more.”
Trainer Scott Schwartz was especially proud of the gelded
son of Wild Event, whom he bred, trains, and owns.
“I’ve bred a few nice horses, but this one is special,”
Schwartz said. “He can do it on the dirt, which he did as a 3-year-old, and he
turned out to be a phenomenal turf horse. His first career start was on the
grass, and I brought him back as a 4-year-old last year specifically for the
grass. He’s bred for it. When the money is on the line, in the big races,
that’s when he does his best. Edgar rode him perfectly, like he always does.”
The 5-year-old Pocket Cowboys now claims a 6-6-2 record from
21 starts and earnings of $408,550 with the $60,000 winner’s share of the Kingston purse.
Spa
City Fever just bested
Scientist for show honors, and Pretty Boy Freud, Banrock, Piazza Di Spagna and
favored Uncle T Seven completed the order of finish.
Two races earlier in the Mount Vernon,
Exclusive Scheme set the early pace, traveling easily through opening fractions
of 24.93 and 48.95 while tracked closely by Paraiba.
Gitchee Goomie, who had settled comfortably at the back of the pack through the
early going, swung four wide turning for home and closed down the middle of the
track to overtake Paraiba in the final strides
and win by a half-length.
Her final time for the mile was 1:35.36 and she returned
$6.00 to her backers in the Sunday crowd of 7,571.
The 4-year-old daughter of City Zip was coming off a neck
loss to Daveron in Belmont’s Grade 3 Beaugay on May 7, and has had gate
troubles in the past, but not today.
“She’s a funny filly,” said Rick Violette, who trains
Gitchee Goomie for Patsy Symons. “In the morning, she’s perfect, you could set
a bomb off under her and she’d stand still in the gate. In a race, once
she gets out of the gate, she’s just such a consistent filly that you’d like to
have a barn full of them. It was a terrific ride, too. It was subtle
terrific, but he had the favorite inside all the way.”
It was the second stakes win for Gitchee Goomie, who ran her
record to 4-4-1 from 10 starts and increased her earnings to $226,554 with the Mount Vernon victory.
“My only concern was that she break well coming out of the
gate,” said winning rider Alan Garcia. “When she did, I thought, ‘that’s half
the battle won.’ After the start, I was so comfortable with where she was. I
had to wait until turning for home to let her do her thing, and she did.”
Favored Chorus Music split horses to narrowly grab third,
Akilina was fourth, and Frivolous Buck and Exclusive Scheme completed the order
of finish. Loyal Shadow was scratched.