Windways Farm’s homebred EL BRUJO (Candy Ride [Arg]) uncorked a last-to-first
El Brujo, the 5-2 favorite in his first start away from his home base, was
Gomez settled El Brujo in the rear of the 10-horse field. Up front, a
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Although Lookn Mighty Fast clung to a slim lead to midstretch, getting five
furlongs in :56 3/5, he could not maintain it. Brass Bay finally wore down the
longtime leader and threatened to spring a 20-1 upset. Meanwhile, Gomez angled
El Brujo to the outside, and the Ontario-bred gelding exploded inside the final
sixteenth. Collaring Brass Bay by a half-length at the wire, El Brujo stopped
the teletimer in 1:09 and returned $7.60, $4.40 and $4.40.
“When I angled him out, it was like I was on a fresh horse,” Gomez said. “He
kicked on nicely. He did everything I asked of him.”
“He ran huge,” Pierce said from Woodbine. “I was a little worried down the
backside, because I didn’t expect him to be that far back, but I guess Garrett
knew what he was doing, because he did a great job getting him up.”
Brass Bay yielded $17.80 and $12 for finishing a clear second by 1 1/4
lengths. Turfiste (Military) prevailed in a three-way scramble for third, and
the 8-1 shot paid $6.20. His Greatness (Honour and Glory) was a nose away in
fourth, with Lookn Mighty Fast another neck back in fifth. The exotics were
worth $172.60 (exacta), $1,561.20 (trifecta) and $18,630 (1-10-9-11 superfecta).
Big Push faded to sixth, followed by Heart of a King (Lion Heart), Hamazing
Destiny (Salt Lake), Dynamite Bob (Malabar Gold) and 3-1 second choice Guam
Typhoon (Distorted Humor). Ju Jitsu Jax (Tiger Ridge) was scratched.
El Brujo’s third career stakes score, and first at the graded level, improved
his record to 12-5-4-1, $415,956. The bay had placed in four stakes as a
juvenile — the Clarendon S., Vandal S. and Coronation Futurity, as well as the
Swynford S., where he finished third to Canadian champion and future Kentucky
Derby (G1) winner Mine That Bird (Birdstone). El Brujo opened his three-year-old
campaign with an 8 3/4-length romp in the Achievement S. at six furlongs, and a
1 1/4-length decision in the seven-furlong Queenston S., but he threw in the two
worst efforts of his life when trying to stretch out. Ninth in the Plate Trial
S., he retreated to last of 13 in the Queen’s Plate S. El Brujo was freshened
and returned to his favored sprint distance in an allowance last time out,
reporting home second.
“We had been chasing the Plate because he had run pretty well around two
turns as a two-year-old,” Pierce said, “but now we know for sure six to seven
furlongs is his best distance.”
Out of the winning Devil’s Bag mare Enchanted Spell, El Brujo is a
half-brother to stakes victress Galadriel (Ascot Knight), herself the dam of
stakes winner and Grade 2-placed Peisinoe (Yes It’s True). His second dam
is Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2) heroine Dame Mysterieuse (Bold Forbes), and he comes
from the family of Grade 2 winners C’est L’ Amour (Thunder Gulch), Madeo (Mizzen
Mast) and Herboriste (GB) (Hernando [Fr]).
“The plans are to bring him back to Woodbine tomorrow morning,” Pierce said.
“If he comes out of it really good, we would probably look at the Perryville
([G3] on October 17) at Keeneland. It would be straight three-year-olds and the
synthetic, of course, but we want to get him home first. We’re not going to make
any decisions tonight.”