M M G Stables' El Areeb (Exchange Rate) easily overtook pacesetting favorite Takaful (Bernardini) turning for home before gliding clear an 11 1/4-length winner of Monday's GIII Jerome S. at Aqueduct, the first stop on New York's Triple Crown trail. Breaking well to chase the speed of the heavy favorite through a strong pace of :23.28 and :48.11, 'TDN Rising Star' El Areeb took command midway on the far turn as the chalk began to sputter. Widening strongly into the stretch, it was only a question of how far from there, as El Areeb cruised under the wire in splendid isolation, completing the one mile and 70 yards in 1:46.17 in his first outing past six furlongs. Takaful tired to last in the seven-horse field.
“We've been training this horse since the [OBS] March sale and he's just been getting better and better,” said winning trainer Cathal Lynch. “He's worked a couple really good mile and an eighths at Laurel [in] 1:55. The last couple of works have been quite impressive. We have a lot of 2-year-olds, maybe 20, 22 each year, and he's probably the best horse I've trained in 20 years. I think today he's proved he's a legit contender.”
El Areeb, a $340,000 OBS March graduate, is one of two newly turned 3-year-old 'TDN Rising Stars' campaigned by Mohammed Al-Gadhi's M M G Stables. The operation is also represented by Swynford S. winner Undulated (Curlin), a $625,000 OBS March purchase last spring.
El Areeb opened his career with a troubled fourth-place effort as the 13-10 favorite June 11 at Parx, but exited that debut performance with bucked shins and was sent to the sidelines. He was fanned six wide while finishing second in an off-the-turfer at Laurel in his 5 1/2-furlong return Sept. 30, but returned with a resounding 8 3/4-length maiden win at that Maryland oval Oct. 15. The gray colt was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' after his 5 1/4-length victory in the Nov. 19 James F. Lewis III S. Both of his previous wins were accomplished in wire-to-wire fashion, but Lynch was confident his charge is tractable.
“We've [sat him off horses] in the morning,” Lynch explained. “We've worked three or four babies and he's had no problem sitting behind. He can rate. He's shown a lot of speed the last two times and everyone thought he had to be on the lead, but he's ratable. [A wet track] is still not his preference. He's just a good horse. Good horses run through their class.”
Of the stretch out to two turns, Lynch added, “We've worked him long and we expected him to go long sooner, we just didn't get the opportunity. The races at Laurel come up three-quarters and that's our home track.”
Winning jockey Trevor McCarthy had nothing but confidence in El Areeb.
“We've been working him two-turns in the morning and he turns off so well, he really seems to finish and like the two-turns, so hopefully it goes forward like that,” McCarthy said. “We've worked him on dead tracks and fast tracks, and it seems like he gets over on anything. He can run on broken glass. Anything you ask him to do, he'll do for you. It's super exciting for the whole barn.”
Heavy favorite Takaful, tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' after a dominant eight-length debut win at Belmont Oct. 29, was looking to rebound from a third-place effort as the favorite in the Nov. 26 GII Remsen S. But the Shadwell homebred packed it in midway on the turn and trailed the field home.
“He came back sound and wasn't making any noise,” jockey Jose Ortiz said of Takaful. “Last time, he stumbled a little bit but today he broke well. He relaxed for me in the first turn even though [El Areeb] was close to me. Last time, he was a little keen on me, but today I got him [relaxed]. We went to the backside and he switched leads. I threw my hands and he relaxed well, but we hit the three-eighths pole and he was empty. He did everything right, just empty.”
Pedigree Notes:
El Areeb is out of the Sam-Son Farm-bred Feathered Diamond, whose unraced dam Sometimesadiamond (Mr. Prospector) was a half-sister to Canadian champion Regal Intention (Vice Regent). Feathered Diamond's Gio Ponti colt sold for $4,500 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale. The 14-year-old mare, sold in foal to Corinthian for $385,000 at the 2008 Keeneland November sale, had no reported foal in 2016 and was bred to Morning Line last spring.
Monday, Aqueduct
JEROME S.-GIII, $150,000, AQU, 1-2, 3yo, 1m 70y, 1:46.17, my.
1–@EL AREEB, 120, c, 3, by Exchange Rate
1st Dam: Feathered Diamond, by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Sometimesadiamond, by Mr. Prospector
3rd Dam: Tiffany Tam, by Tentam
($100,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP; $340,000 2yo '16 OBSMAR). O-M M
G Stables, LLC; B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY); T-Cathal A. Lynch;
J-Trevor McCarthy. $90,000. 'TDN Rising Star' Lifetime Record:
5-3-1-0, $184,200.[bullet ad=”lanes-end-sales-grad”]Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A+.
2–Bonus Points, 116, c, 3, Majestic Warrior–Baby Love, by Not
For Love. ($6,500 Wlg '14 EASDEC; $35,000 Ylg '15 EASOCT;
$60,000 RNA 2yo '16 OBSAPR). O-Three Diamonds Farm;
B-Country Life Farm (MD); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $30,000.[bullet ad=”maryland-shell”]3–True Timber, 117, c, 3, Mineshaft">Mineshaft–Queen's Wood, by Tiznow.
($170,000 Wlg '14 KEENOV). O-Calumet Farm; B-Mr. & Mrs.
Marc C. Ferrell (KY); T-Kiaran P. McLaughlin. $15,000.[bullet ad=”stgeorge-salesgrad”][bullet ad=”stonestreet-trainingalum”]Margins: 11 1/4, HF, 3/4. Odds: 2.80, 14.60, 21.90.
Also Ran: Win With Pride, Everybodyluvsrudy, The Walk, Takaful. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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