Currency Swap, Going to Kukaro
capitalize on Peter Pan undercard
by John Cox
Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence’s Currency
Swap captured the $83,300
You and I Stakes at Belmont Park on
Saturday in wire-to-wire fashion. Sent off as the nearly 3-2 favorite, the
Teresa Pompay trainee completed the seven-furlong contest in 1:22 2/5, winning
by three-quarters of a length over the fast dirt. Jockey Rajiv Maragh was aboard to
guide the High Cotton three-year-old to his second stakes victory and first win of 2012.
“When I saw him on the
overnight, I was really excited,” Maragh said. “He’s a really talented horse. I
got a good draw on the outside, so I had a shot to break and see what was
happening. It didn’t seem like the pace was developing fast, so I kind of just
took advantage of that and stayed close and he finished strong. He kept on going
— it definitely was not the end of his run at the wire. He had more left.”
Currency Swap entered Saturday’s race off his first unplaced finished after
running 11th in the Grade 3 Illinois Derby on April 7. He was sent off the 3-2
second pick in the five-horse field and returned $5.10, $3.50 and $2.10.
“The two turns, and a mile and
an eighth in the Illinois Derby was a lot to throw at him, and he had a rough
trip besides, so it was good to regroup,” Pompay said. “There were still
some nice racehorses in here, but it was a little bit less salty and it will
pick his head up.”
Currency Swap became a Grade 1 winner in just his second
career start, taking the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga last September 5. He then took
a nearly six-month layoff until finishing second to eventual Kentucky Derby
contender Gemologist in an allowance while making his sophomore bow at
Gulfstream Park on March 16.
With hopes of making the field of 20 in
the Kentucky Derby, Currency Swap was then entered in the Illinois
Derby but failed to place, finishing a
disappointing 11th as the favorite. Saturday’s win boosted his earnings to $248,300
and Currency
Swap’s line now reads 5-3-1-0. Next up on the bay colt’s radar could be the
Grade 2 Woody Stephens Stakes going seven furlongs on the Belmont Stakes
undercard.
“I talked to the owners and we
wanted to win this and thinking maybe the Woody Stephens and then maybe later in
the year trying to stretch him back out and see if he can do it,” Pompay said.
“But we want to keep his confidence up and give him a few good races in a row
where we know he can be really effective.”
Michael Dubb et al’s Going to Kukaro held on to take the $85,000
Genuine Devotion Stakes by a nose
later on Belmont’s Saturday card. Sent off as the
6-5 favorite, the Tony Dutrow trainee finished the six-furlong, firm-inner turf
battle in 1:09. Jockey Javier Castellano guided the four-year-old Speightstown filly
in her stakes bow, which improved her career mark to 7-4-2-1, $162,898.
Sunlight Sonata, the near 4-1 second choice in the Genuine Devotion, was
pulled up and vanned off.