Sent off as the second-longest shot on the board in Sunday’s $110,300
Aqueduct H. (G3), Barry Seinfeld and Elizabeth Dodson’s COUNTRY BE GOLD (Summer
Squall) ran down 6-5 favorite Aggadan (Carnivalay), splitting horses in deep stretch
and getting the three-quarter-of-a-length win to return $47.20 to his faithful
backers.
Outrun early, Country Be Gold and jockey Jose Espinoza rated in sixth through
an opening quarter in :22 4/5 and :46 3/5 for the half before making their move
after six furlongs in 1:11 4/5. Nearing the stretch, the eight-year-old was
third by a head after a mile in 1:38 1/5 and began to run down Aggadan. Espinoza then found room in deep stretch, making
a brilliant move inside the final sixteenth to stop the clock in 1:44 4/5 for 1 1/16 miles
on the fast track. The Steven Kappes-trained bay paid $10 to place and $6.50 to show, keying a $173.50
exacta with Aggadan on the bottom, who returned $3.30 and $2.90. Mahzouz
(Charismatic) was just a neck back in third, paying $5.50 and completing the
$1,072 trifecta (1-6-2).
“He was comfortable around the first turn,” Espinoza said. “I was able to to
save ground most of the way. The last sixteenth, he took off. He made a really
good move.”
Region of Merit (Touch Gold) came next, followed by New York Hero (Partner’s
Hero), Lord Langfuhr (Langfuhr), Rogue Agent (Anjiz) and Tales of Glory (Honour
and Glory).
Bred in Kentucky by Helen Brann and Flora Roberts, Country Be Gold broke
through to win his first graded stakes race in the Aqueduct. He adds this
victory to three stakes wins and six black-type placings and improves his
mark to 54-11-6-9 with earnings of $799,424. The bay is out of the multiple
graded-stakes placed Personal Flag mare Beloved Bea and brought $150,000 at the
2000 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.