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Mr Speaker brings Adelaide to order, upsets Belmont Derby

Mr Speaker (right) accelerated on the inside to deny the Aidan O'Brien-trained Adelaide (NYRA/Adam Coglianese/Chelsea Durand) Saturday's Grade 1, $1.25 million Belmont Derby Invitational looked like a plum spot for the international brigade, but Phipps Stable's homebred Mr Speaker kept the inaugural running of the lucrative prize at home. Overlooked at 23-1 after flubbing his lines in the local prep, the Shug McGaughey trainee roared from last to first to collar Irish invader Adelaide, the 2-1 favorite, and rewarded his backers with a $49 win mutuel. Mr Speaker was coming off an uncharacteristic last-of-five effort in the May 26 Pennine Ridge over the same Belmont course, where he led early before retreating. This time, regular rider Jose Lezcano dropped him back to the tail of the field, setting the stage for a potent closing kick. When the gate opened, French shipper Pornichet was lit up by the addition of blinkers, and sped away from Gala Award, Bobby's Kitten and English-based Toast of New York. After winging through opening splits of :23 3/5 and :48 2/5 on the good inner turf, jockey Jose Ortiz persuaded Pornichet to throttle down a bit. Gala Award and Bobby's Kitten then closed in on the leader down the backstretch. But when they drew alongside, Pornichet edged away again to reclaim the lead through six furlongs in 1:12 3/5 and a mile in 1:37. Adelaide and Toast of New York had likewise crept closer, and both Europeans were poised to strike turning for home.

At the top of the stretch, Adelaide adroitly angled off the hedge, seized a seam, and surged past Pornichet. Just when Adelaide appeared to make the winning move, however, Mr Speaker exploded into contention on the inside. Outkicking the Aidan O'Brien pupil, Mr Speaker forced his neck in front in a final time of 2:01.

"He definitely redeemed himself -- his last race was very disappointing," McGaughey said. "He trained well coming up to today and we changed our game plan; I wanted him back. Jose (Lezcano) rode a great race on him. We're tickled that Martin (Panza) carded this race and we're tickled to death that we won it.

"I had a concrete reason (to dismiss his last race), but you always have your doubts. Does he belong in the top layer of horses or not? I think today he proved he does. My confidence was shaken a little bit; he was a different horse (before the Pennine Ridge), it was like he had never been in the paddock before. He went to the post and was looking up into the crowd. But today, he was an entirely different horse.

"I thought we were fine," the Hall of Fame trainer added regarding the trip. "I was keying on the horses that were second and third; I wasn't worried about the horse in front. I thought he was going to fire today; it was just a matter of if he's good enough."

"I got a perfect trip," Lezcano said. "We broke, and I got the position I wanted. I let him settle. Last time, he was a little aggressive. It was a five-horse field, he broke, and no one wanted to go, so he took the lead. Today, on the backside, I made a little move to try and hold my position. Then I followed a horse I saw running; I think I followed the right horse (Adelaide)."

Adelaide's connections were pleased with his effort in defeat.

"I had a trouble-free trip," jockey Colm O'Donoghue said. "He sat beautifully and ran strong the last two furlongs."

"He ran well," traveling head lad T.J. Comerford said. "Colm is happy with him, and (O'Brien) is happy with him. He ran a good race."

Adelaide was 3 1/2 lengths clear of Flamboyant, who got up for third by a half-length from France's Gailo Chop. Next came Sheldon, Toast of New York, Global View, Bobby's Kitten, Pornichet and Gala Award. Dance With Fate was scratched after a bout with colic.

Mr Speaker's first Grade 1 coup advanced his record to 9-4-1-1, $945,880. The Pulpit colt made his debut on the Saratoga turf last August, checking in sixth behind Bobby's Kitten, and improved to finish third over the Widener course at Belmont the following month. Mr Speaker broke his maiden on Belmont's inner turf in October, and promptly captured his first stakes in the December 21 Dania Beach at Gulfstream. That earned him a crack at the Grade 2 Holy Bull on the main track, where he faded to seventh.

Back on turf for the Grade 3 Palm Beach March 1, Mr Speaker rallied for second, beaten only a half-length by Gala Award. McGaughey thought about the Grade 1 Blue Grass on Keeneland's Polytrack, but ultimately opted for the Grade 3 Lexington a week later April 19. The dark bay took to synthetic readily, rolling from just off the pace to a four-length decision. He failed to do himself justice last time in the Pennine Ridge, but set the record straight on a big stage here.

The Kentucky-bred is the second winner produced by Salute, who was runner-up in the Demoiselle and third in the Tempted as a juvenile in 2004. Salute is a daughter of Unbridled and unbeaten Hall of Famer Personal Ensign, making her a half-sister to Grade 1-winning sires Miner's Mark and Traditionally, multiple Grade 1-placed sire Our Emblem and to the aforementioned My Flag.

A four-time Grade 1 star, My Flag landed the 1995 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and 1996 Coaching Club American Oaks, Ashland and Gazelle, and she also placed third versus males in the Belmont Stakes. The Easy Goer mare became a successful producer as well, responsible for 2002 champion two-year-old filly Storm Flag Flying, stakes scorer With Flying Colors, stakes-placed sire Leading the Parade and Grade 3-placed On Parade, the dam of Grade 2 hero Parading, like Mr Speaker a son of Pulpit.

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