The Curlin, designed as a softer spot than Saturday’s Grade 2 Jim Dandy over
Unhurried early, Street Life bided his time at the rear of the six-horse
|
Love to Run and Easter Gift raced in tandem through fractions of :47 3/5 and
1:12 1/5. Five Sixteen drafted behind them, for a time in company with Reload.
Ever So Lucky, who had been reserved in fifth, fanned out wide to challenge the
leaders rounding the far turn.
But uncorking an even bigger move at the same time was Street Life. In the
process, though, he was carried out extremely wide in a chain reaction, in which
Love to Run floated Easter Gift and Ever So Lucky toward the center of the
track. Street Life didn’t lose much momentum, but he did bump with Ever so
Lucky, and had to re-organize at the head of the stretch.
As that adventure was occurring on the outside, a huge gap opened up on the
inner part of the track, and Five Sixteen shrewdly took advantage. The 17-1
longest shot on the board saved all the ground, and as a result, loomed boldly
in an upset-minded gambit.
Five Sixteen’s chances didn’t last long. Once Street Life was back on an even
keel and renewing his bid in earnest, he powered past the longshot and splashed
nine furlongs in 1:50 3/5. The convincing winner returned $6.30, $3.90 and
$3.10.
“When I asked him at the quarter-pole to swing out, he gave me a good (run),”
Lezcano said. “It doesn’t matter how wide he goes. He likes to be outside more
than being inside, I think.”
“It worked out beautifully,” Brown recapped. “Jose rode a good race, kept him
a little closer today, (which) we talked about. With that horse, if you give him
the opportunity to be a little lazy, he’ll take it. We’re getting to figure this
horse out and Jose executed it perfectly.
“I was optimistic he would handle the mud,” the trainer added. “I’ve never
breezed him in it, but he’s had strong gallops. It seems like he has a little
more focus; he’s a little sharper in the mud when he gallops. So I was holding
out hope he would handle it, and he loved it. So, it worked out.
“Normally, as a trainer, you want to run in as short a field as you can, but
when I saw those two scratches (Politicallycorrect and Morgan’s Guerrilla) today
with this particular horse, I was a little worried. I wanted some pace to run
at. As it turned out, the pace was honest enough, and Jose kept him interested
early, and that was a good thing.
“As long as the horse is OK and doing well, he’ll be ready for the Travers.”
Jockey Rosie Napravnik was delighted with Five Sixteen.
“He ran excellent,” Napravnik said. “He’s a horse that’s starting to come
around, and I expect to see bigger things from him in the future.”
That future might not include the Travers, according to trainer Dominick
Schettino.
“I think he ran well,” Schettino said. “He ran very hard. I’ll speak to the
owners and go from there. I’m not sure (if we’ll consider the Travers).”
Ever So Lucky didn’t have as much punch at this trip, but was still well
clear of the remaining trio. There was a break of 9 3/4 lengths back to Easter
Gift, and another 16 1/2 lengths adrift came Reload and Love to Run, who were
virtually eased. The withdrawn Politicallycorrect could instead line up in
Sunday’s Grade 2 Amsterdam.
Easter Gift’s connections commented on the beaten favorite.
“He was too rank today,” jockey Javier Castellano said. “He never settled. My
goal was to cover up on the first turn, and we did. When he saw the daylight, he
took off. He was too rank.”
“The jockey said he was rank,” trainer Nick Zito said. “Early, he was laying
in fourth and that was perfect. Last time he came from (off the pace); I’d have
taken him back.”
Campaigned by Magnolia Racing Stable and Hidden Brook Farm, Street Life now
sports a mark of 7-3-0-1, $234,405. The dark bay was unraced at two, and broke
his maiden at Aqueduct in February in his second try. He stepped up next time to
take the March 17 Broad Brush in his stakes debut, but wasn’t ready for the
Grade 1 level just yet when checking in sixth in the April 7 Wood Memorial.
Street Life added blinkers for the Grade 2 Peter Pan on May 12, where he closed
strongly for third, and again hit his best stride late for fourth in the 1
1/2-mile Belmont.
Street Life was bred by Mueller Thoroughbred Stable in Kentucky and twice
sold for $130,000 at Keeneland, first as a November weanling and later as a
September yearling. He is out of the winning Grindstone mare Stone Hope, who is
a half-sister to Grade 2 victor Brilliant. Grade 1 star Furiously and Grade 2
scorers Tights and Tiz Wonderful are also in the family.
Bet Horseracing Free Online at
TwinSpires.com