Rodriguez back to work following back-to-back wins on Super Saturday

Belle Gallantey has given trainer Rudy Rodriguez two of his four Grade 1 wins this year (NYRA/Chelsea Durand/Adam Coglianese Photography)

Aqueduct-based Rudy Rodriguez was back at work Sunday
morning after enjoying his best day as a trainer on Saturday at
Belmont Park.

The 42-year-old ex-jockey — who went out on his own in 2010
after working for Rick Dutrow Sr., Rick Dutrow Jr. and late Hall of Famer
Bobby Frankel — won the Grade 1 Beldame with Belle Gallantey and the
Grade 2 Kelso Handicap with Vyjack while second in the Grade 1 Vosburgh with Dads Caps.

“It was a great day,” Rodriguez grinned. “Just to compete in
those kinds of races is amazing, and to win two and run second, that’s
unbelievable, you know?”

Winner of the Delaware Handicap in July, Belle Gallantey rebounded from a disappointing finish in the Personal Ensign,
run in the Saratoga mud last month, to romp by 8
1/4 lengths in the Beldame.

Owned by Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables and Gary Aisquith,
the five-year-old daughter of After Market is now five-for-seven with purse earnings of $851,400 in
2014.

“She looks like she came back pretty good,” Rodriguez said.
“She ate up good last night and had a lot of energy this morning. She looked the
same to us. We’re going to wait a couple days and see how she is and take it
from there. Right now, we don’t have any plans for her. We’re going to watch and
see how she is and then see what we want to do.”

Vyjack is a favorite in the Rodriguez shedrow (NYRA/David Alcosser/Adam Coglianese Photography)

“He’s one of our favorite horses,” Rodriguez admitted. “To see
him run the way he did, it was amazing. All along, we’ve thought he had some
talent and he can compete with those horses.

“The horse is not easy to train, and
thank God he came back good, too. The plan was to run him in the (Grade 1,
$500,000) Cigar
Mile (on November 29 at Aqueduct), that’s why we put him in the mile race. I have
to talk to the owner and figure out what he wants to do.”

Carter Handicap victor Dads Caps was beaten a neck
by repeat winner Private Zone in the Vosburgh, and now has three wins and four
seconds in eight lifetime tries at six furlongs.

“He ran great. We were very proud of him,” Rodriguez said.
“He ran a winning race. The winner is a very game horse. We went by him in the
stretch and he came back and beat us. He still ran great. I haven’t talked to
the owner yet, but we’ll make a plan and take it from there. The horse ran big
and came back good.”

Rodriguez has five graded stakes wins this year, including
four Grade 1s in the Carter, Delaware Handicap, Spinaway with Condo Commando and
Beldame. He also won five graded stakes in 2013.