Strapping Groom provides some solace with Forego upset

Strapping Groom sloshed his way to an upset win in the Forego (Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos)

One day after the loss of popular New York-bred gelding Saginaw, Strapping
Groom gave the connections of Drawing Away Stable and David Jacobson something
to celebrate in Saturday’s $500,000
Forego,
posting a wire-to-wire upset in the seven-furlong Grade 1 event at Saratoga. The
reformed claimer paid $32.40 to win as a 15-1 outsider among seven betting
interests.

Junior Alvarado, who also rode 10-time stakes winner Saginaw for trainer
Jacobson, had the mount. Saginaw had to be euthanized after breaking down in
Friday’s third race at Saratoga.

Strapping Groom broke running from his outside post and dueled with Fast
Bullet down the backstretch, completing the opening quarter-mile in :22 4/5 on
the sloppy track. He began to edge away from that rival on the far turn and
passed the half-mile mark in :45 1/5 with a one-length advantage.

The six-year-old entered the stretch drive full of run, extending his lead to
2 1/2 lengths with only a furlong remaining, but Jackson Bend came charging from
well off the pace to make it interesting late. Strapping Groom started drifting
out in deep stretch but had enough in reserve to deny his fast-closing rival by
a half-length, stopping the teletimer in 1:22 1/5.

“We were fortunate to have an outside post,” Jacobson said via phone after
the race. “The horse likes to be on the lead, and Junior’s instructions were to
get the lead if he could. After he put away Fast Bullet, I was pretty confident
he was going to win.”

Strapping Groom received a congratulatory pat from Alvarado following the Forego (Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos)

“I wish that the pace was a little quicker — 22 (4/5 seconds) for those kind
of horses, really good horses, it’s kind of easy for them. If I had gotten
21.44-type fractions I think I would have won the race.”

Justin Phillip, who was favored at 3-4 with more highly-regarded entrymate
Fast Bullet, wound up a non-threatening third, three parts of a length better
than Lea. Next came Sage Valley, Javerre, Fast Bullet and Golddigger’s Boy.
Saratoga Snacks was scratched.

With his first graded stakes tally, Strapping Groom has now earned $626,713
from a 22-8-5-1 record.

A son of Johannesburg, the chestnut horse showed some promise early in his
career with a pair of runner-up finishes in the Fred “Cappy” Capossela and
Hansel Stakes at age three. But he went to the sidelines in September 2010 and
did not reappear until the following August, finishing last in an optional
claiming event at Saratoga. He dropped into the claiming ranks for his second
and final start of 2011, and raced for either a tag or against starter allowance
company in four attempts last year.