Off the Tracks (Curlin), a good second in the GI Acorn S. on the GI Belmont S. undercard, set a pressured pace and just kept on motoring through the stretch to capture Saturday's GI Mother Goose S. at Belmont Park. It was 3 1/2 lengths back to Lewis Bay (Bernardini) in second. Previously unbeaten Lightstream (Harlan's Holiday) completed the trifecta.
“Even though the fractions were very fast, the track seems to be playing pretty fast today, so I was a little concerned going as fast as they were, but she seemed to be doing it comfortably and in good rhythm,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I was happy to see her have something left to finish.”
Pletcher also saddled 9-5 favorite Rachel's Valentina (Bernardini), who disappointed in fifth after stumbling at the start. The highly regarded daughter of Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro), heroine of last summer's GI Spinaway S., entered off a sixth-place finish as the chalk in the GI Kentucky Oaks.
“I really don't have a great explanation [for Rachel's Valentina],” Pletcher commented. “It looked like she was in a decent spot, but Johnny [Velazquez] seemed like he had to start asking her for a lot earlier than you would expect him to. We'll see how she comes out of it and try to regroup.”
Breaking sharply from her inside draw, Off the Tracks went straight to the front under Jose Ortiz and was pressed along by longshot Mom's On Strike (First Dude) through quick fractions of :22.79 and :45.53. Lewis Bay tracked those two from third along the rail and appeared loaded for bear when tipping out one path at the top of the lane, but Off the Tracks had plenty in reserve to turn away that one's challenge and roll home an impressive winner for career high.
“She broke good and was very alert,” Ortiz said. “We went a bit fast, but she wasn't pushed all the way to do that. She was relaxed and did it by herself. She was in a good rhythm. As we passed the three-eighths pole, she gave me a lot of confidence to go on. She responded very well.”
Sidelined with a knee injury that required surgery after recording a victory in Saratoga's GIII Schuylerville S. last summer, Off the Tracks returned to the races in style, running her record to three-for-three for trainer Roderick Rodriguez with a runaway tally in Gulfstream's 6 1/2-furlong Margate H. Feb. 21. Maurice Regan's Newtown Anner Stud purchased a majority interest from J Stables shortly thereafter, but Off the Tracks disappointed with a third-place finish in her first attempt for these connections in her two-turn debut in a sloppy renewal of the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks Apr. 2. She finished 1 1/4 lengths adrift of 'TDN Rising Star' Carina Mia (Malibu Moon) after encountering some traffic in the Acorn last time.
Off the Tracks has a 2-year-old half-brother by Tiznow named Furious Styles. His winning dam Harve de Grace, a half-sister to MGSW & GISP Tasha's Miracle (Harlan's Holiday), was bred to Awesome Again in 2015.
Saturday, Belmont Park
MOTHER GOOSE S.-GI, $300,000, BEL, 7-2, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:41.01, ft.
1–&OFF THE TRACKS, 121, f, 3, by Curlin">Curlin
1st Dam: Harve de Grace, by Boston Harbor
2nd Dam: Ms. Cuvee Napa, by Relaunch
3rd Dam: A Penny Is a Penny, by Temperence Hill
($50,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP). O-Newtown Anner Stud & J Stables;
B-Lee McMillin (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Jose L. Ortiz.
$180,000. Lifetime Record: 6-4-1-1, $485,594. *1/2 to Concord
Point (Tapit), MGSW, $669,260.[bullet ad=”sallusto-albina-double-bullet-private-purchase”][bullet ad=”amende-place-raised-and-sold”][bullet ad=”chad-summers-purchased-by”][bullet ad=”sbmtrainingandsales-brokenandtrained”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″]Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*.
2–Lewis Bay, 121, f, 3, Bernardini–Summer Raven, by Summer
Squall. ($170,000 RNA Ylg '14 KEESEP). O/B-Alpha Delta
Stables, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $60,000.
3–Lightstream, 121, f, 3, Harlan's Holiday–North Beach, by
Arch. ($55,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP). O-Up Hill Stable & Head of
Plains Partners LLC; B-Ann Marie Farm (KY); T-Brian A. Lynch.
$30,000.[bullet ad=”albina-private-purchase”]Margins: 3HF, 1, 3. Odds: 3.05, 2.25, 4.00.
Also Ran: Mo d'Amour, Rachel's Valentina, Mom's On Strike, Linda Mimi. 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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