Joseph Allen’s homebred ECCLESIASTIC (Pulpit) took a short lead in
midstretch and held off a stubborn Old Forester (Forestry) by a head at the
wire to take the $111,600
Jaipur H. (G3) at Belmont on Sunday. Trained by Allen
Jerkens and ridden by Cornelio Velasquez, the bay colt sat off the pace for the
the opening half-mile before making his bid, completing seven firm furlongs in a
swift 1:20 3/5. Sent off at a generous 8-1, the winner paid $19.60, $7.60 and
$3.80 while keying the $67.50 exacta and $155 trifecta.
Old Forester made a bold four-wide turning for home and gained a short
advantage in early stretch, but fell just short in a game runner-up performance.
The 2-1 favorite was worth $3.60 and $2.30. Pacesetter Gulch Approval (Gulch)
set moderate splits while alone on the lead for much of the contest, but could
do no better than third, paying $2.60 at 5-2 while two lengths farther back.
Trade Fair (GB) (Zafonic) was next and trailed by Seeking the Glory (A.P.
Indy), Thunder Touch (Gulch) and Blakelock (Summer Squall), while Aggadan (Carnivalay),
No Parole (Lit de Justice) and Steel Light (Stravinsky) were withdrawn.
Ecclesiastic moved his career line to 18-3-4-4 with a bankroll of $211,974.
The colt owns placing in the Northern Dancer S. (G3), Fort Marcy H. (G3) and
Santa Claus S.
Bred in the Bluegrass State, the winner was produced from the multiple-stakes
winning Starry Dreamer (Rubiano) and has an unraced two-year-old half-sister
named Teammate (A.P. Indy).