Gustavian noses out All Together in Lonesome Glory

Last updated: 9/19/13 6:10 PM

Gustavian (white blinkers) took full advantage of All Together’s near fall on the last fence to win the Lonesome Glory

(NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography)

Gustavian jumped the final fence cleanly and made a late
surge to nip All Together by a nose and win the Grade 1, $150,000
Lonesome Glory
Handicap steeplechase for four-year-olds and up on Thursday at Belmont Park.

A seven-year-old gelding owned by Magalen O. Bryant, Gustavian
was ridden to victory by Paddy Young and is trained by the jockey’s wife, Leslie
Young.

Gustavian tracked the pacesetters in third for the majority
of the race and offered a challenge as the field turned for home. All Together
swooped to the lead before bobbling after jumping over the 11th and final fence,
and Gustavian took advantage of his opponent’s miscue by rallying along the
inside to get his nose down on the wire first.

“I think we benefited a little when (runner-up All Together) stumbled on
landing (following the final jump),” Leslie Young admitted. “Gustavian likes a
fight at the finish, he likes to aim at something. He dueled throughout the
stretch, and thank God his nose was longer (than All Together’s).”

“If it wasn’t for the last jump, I think we would have won,” lamented All
Together’s jockey, Xavier Aizpuru. “He actually was very brave after the last
fence, to keep battling away after losing so much momentum. You can’t help but
feel like a mistake like that costs you when you get beaten by a head bob.”

The final time for 2 1/2 miles over hurdles on the firm turf was 4:35 4/5.

“I’ve ridden him most of his career,” said Paddy Young, who
added that this was the biggest win he has shared with his wife. “He doesn’t win
many races — he likes running second a lot.

“He loves this big, galloping track. He’s a great jumper. The thing I liked
about him today is that he actually chased that horse when it passed him, which
sometimes he doesn’t do. He stuck his head out at the right time today.”

It was Gustavian’s first win since he captured the William
Entenmann novice stakes last September at Belmont. He closed out his 2012
campaign with a second in the Foxbrook Champion novice stakes in October at Far
Hills. In two starts this year, he was a distant third in the Temple Gwathmey Handicap in April at Middleburg and second, beaten a half-length, in
the May 18 National Hunt Cup at Malvern.

“Last year we opted to skip Saratoga,” Leslie Young remarked. “Not that he
can’t run over firm ground, but it gets a little firmer over the summer. We
opted for the same plan (this year).

“We freshened him up, happy and healthy coming into Belmont, a big, galloping
track. He liked it last year, so we thought, ‘Why not for a big Grade 1 like
this?'”

The conditioner added that Gustavian likely will make his next
start in the Grade 1 Grand National on October 19 at Far Hills.

Gustavian improved his record over jumps to 4-7-1 in 13
starts and earned $90,000 for his Lonesome Glory victory. The bay son of Giant’s
Causeway has earned $275,219
in his career, $208,300 over jumps.

Italian Wedding, part of a coupled entry that went off as
the 8-5 favorite, finished third, beaten 1 3/4 lengths. Demonstrative, Spy in the
Sky, Hunt Ball, Divine Fortune, The Grey Express and Black Quartz completed the
order of finish. Molotof was scratched.

Readtheprospectus, seen here taking his first stakes win in the Commentator, has now triumphed in seven straight

(NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography)

The

William Entenmann, the race Gustavian captured last September, actually got
Belmont’s Thursday card underway as the 1ST race. Michael J. Moran’s Staying On
dueled with Powerofone in the stretch of the 2 1/4-mile, $75,000 hurdle before
proving best by three parts of a length on the wire. The eight-year-old gelded
son of Invincible Spirit stopped the clock in 4:15 2/5 with jockey Jeff Murphy
in the irons for trainer Jack Fisher.

Staying On was a listed winner and dual Group 3-placed while racing early in
his career on the flat in England and Ireland, and improved his overall resume
to read 26-6-5-1, $341,111, with the Entenmann victory.

There were also two dirt stakes contested on Thursday, with Readtheprospectus
extending his win streak to seven straight in the $100,000

Spite the Devil and Roman Invader getting back to her winning ways in the
$95,000
Parlo.

Readtheprospectus, trained by Chad Brown for Klaravich Stables and William H.
Lawrence, ran in last early before slowly making his way toward the front on the
backstretch. Jockey Junior Alvarado was aboard the Read the Footnotes gelding as
he drifted out in the lane under steady urging to finish a half-length in front
of Spa City Fever on the line.

Readtheprospectus earned his second consecutive stakes when finishing a mile
on the fast main track in 1:36 3/5. The four-year-old bay captured the
Commentator Handicap on July 1, and has been unbeatable since breaking his
maiden last October at Big Sandy. He now boasts $364,280 in lifetime earnings to
go along with his 10-7-1-1 career mark.

Roman Invader, on the other hand, hadn’t visited the winner’s circle since
taking an optional claimer at Arlington Park a year ago. Campaigned by
Christopher T. Dunn and trainer David Jacobson, the Roman Ruler mare turned her
fortune’s around in the Parlo with a 1 1/4-length front-running score to give
Alvarado a second stakes win on the day.

Roman Invader ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43 3/4 as the 11-1 longest shot in the
four-distaffer field. She earned her first stakes win in this spot and improved
her career record to 37-7-10-7, $293,882.

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