Stuart Janney III’s homebred Air Support found his best stride late in
Saturday’s Grade 2, $196,000
Bowling Green Stakes, overhauling pacesetter Bombaguia for a head decision
in the opening-day feature at Belmont Park. The Shug McGaughey-trained colt
returned to the win column after dropping his first five outings this season,
adding the Bowling Green to victories in the Grade 2 Virginia Derby and Grade 3
Transylvania Stakes last year.
John Velazquez had the mount on the four-year-old son of Smart Strike, who
has now earned $892,488 from a 15-5-3-2 record.
Bombaguia quickly assumed control at the start, showing the way on short lead
as he entered the first turn on the good inner turf, and
doled out slow opening fractions of :26, :50 2/5 and 1:14 4/5 while under no
pressure. Air Support stalked the pacesetter, a couple of lengths back in third
as the field made his way down the backstretch, and was asked for run by
Velazquez approaching the conclusion of the far turn.
“I knew it would be a walking race,” McGaughey said of the tedious early
fractions.
Bombaguia accelerated away by a couple of lengths at the top of the stretch,
reaching the mile mark in 1:39 4/5, and Air Support still had plenty of work to
do with a quarter-mile remaining. He started to wear down his rival in deep
stretch and surged determinedly in the final strides to prove best, finishing 1
1/4 miles in 2:06.
“My horse was going really easy the whole way,” Velazquez said. “I pulled him
out at the quarter pole, the other horse (Bombaguia) opened up two lengths on
him, and (Air Support) forgot he was running. When (Edgar) Prado (aboard
Bombaguia) started coming out (in deep stretch), that’s when he started getting
serious and trying to get competitive. Still, he got next to the other horse and
he didn’t really put up too much of a fight. I think he’s better than that.”
“Johnny said he ran a little spotty,” McGaughey added. “When he got up to the
horse on the lead — let’s give (Bombaguia) some credit, he was on an easy lead
and we had to run and catch him, he ran a great race — when we got next to him,
he didn’t want to run by him when I thought we would. I’m glad he won. I thought
he ran a good race. I’m pleased with him. It’s the first race he’s won in a
while.”
Favored at 7-5, Air Support returned payouts of $4.90, $2.90 and $2.10.
Bombaguia nearly stole the race as the 8-1 longest shot among five rivals and
wound 7 1/4 lengths clear of third-placer Brilliant Speed. It was another 6 1/2
lengths back to Brujo de Olleros, and Newsdad trailed. Main-track only entrant
Redeemed remained in the barn.
Air Support broke his maiden when trying turf in his second career start in
2010 and captured the Grade 3 Pilgrim Stakes two starts later. However, the bay
never fired when wrapping up his two-year-old campaign with a ninth in the Grade
2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs.
His sophomore season got off to a very encouraging start as Air Support
captured the Transylvania at Keeneland in April. Following a second in the Grade
2 American Turf and a third in the Grade 3 Hill Prince, the colt recorded an
excellent victory in the Virginia Derby, defeating the ill-fated Banned by a
neck at Colonial Downs in July. But Air Support did not race again in 2011,
spending nearly nine months on the sidelines before returning this spring at
Keeneland.
Air Support was unplaced in his first two starts this year and then recorded
a pair of non-threatening runner-up finishes to Turbo Compressor in the
lucrative Colonial Turf Cup and Grade 1 United Nations. He entered the Bowling
Green off a disappointing third against allowance/optional claiming rivals on
yielding turf at Saratoga.
The Kentucky-bred is a half-brother to the stakes-placed pair of Perusal and
Imagining, both by Dynaformer. They are all out of the unraced Danzig mare Gaze,
who is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 star and $2 million earner Coronado’s
Quest, Grade 3 victor Warning Glance and multiple stakes scorer Military Look.
This is the family of Grade 1-winning millionaire Private Terms. Air Support’s
fourth dam, Broodmare of the Year Shenanigans, is famous for producing the
ill-fated champion Ruffian and Grade 2-winning sires Icecapade and Buckfinder.
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