|
Bellamy
Road Turns in Stunning Wood Win
Dan Lauletta/Bloodhorse.com
George Steinbrenner's Bellamy Road became a
serious contender for next month's G1 Kentucky
Derby with a stunning 17 1/2-length victory
over a half dozen overmatched rivals in Saturday's
$750,000 G1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
The front-running victory for the Florida-bred
was as effortless as it was breathtaking, stopping
the clock in a track record-equaling 1:47.
At
the sixteenth pole, jockey Javier Castellano
glanced over at the infield television, saw
his margin widening, and turned to wave at the
grandstand in celebration. Past the wire, the
lightly-raced Bellamy Road continued to run
on strong until an outrider helped Castellano
pull him up more than a quarter mile past the
finish. It never looked as if Bellamy Road was
running full out.
"Boy,
he was unbelievable today," said trainer
Nick Zito. "He just kept going. I hope
he stays that way for four weeks, and he'll
have a good shot (in the Kentucky Derby), too."
Gotham
winner Survivalist finished second, with Scrappy
T third. But they will be remembered as little
more than footnotes to one of most extraordinary
spring victories by a 3-year old in recent memory.
Bellamy
Road has now started two times for Zito. His
first start was a 15 3/4-length allowance win
at Gulfstream Park last month. Overall, the
son of Concerto is once beaten in five starts.
The loss came in last year's Breeders' Futurity
at Keeneland in October when he was seventh,
12 lengths behind the winning Consolidator when
he was trained by Michael Dickinson.
He
will join Zito-trained Sun King, who won the
Tampa Bay Derby as well as High Fly and Noble
Causeway, who made the exacta in the Florida
Derby, as probable Derby entrants May 7.
"I'm
just happy to be in the game with this many
horses at this time," Zito said after his
third Wood Memorial win (Thirty Six Red, 1990,
and Adonis, 1999). "This is pretty impressive
today, there's no question. He might be a special
horse. This is tremendous, his last two races."
Bellamy
Road could start as the Kentucky Derby favorite.
If he wins, he will be the first since Sonny's
Halo in 1983 to do so with the benefit of only
two prior races as a 3-year old.
Castellano,
who won his first Wood Memorial, is now in position
to ride in the Kentucky Derby for the first
time. He nearly gave up the mount on Bellamy
Road in order to ride Ghostzapper in the Oaklawn
Handicap, but a brief illness canceled that
start for the reigning Horse of the Year.
"He
wants to go longer, no question about it,"
Castellano said of the best 3-year old he has
crossed paths with. "I'll keep my fingers
crossed and pray that everything works out good."
Bellamy
Road's presence at the Derby will add a trace
of star quality to the event. He is owned by
Kinsman Stable, nom de course for the racing
operation of New York Yankees' owner George
Steinbrenner.
"(He)
was back in Tampa watching the race with my
brother Hank," said George's daughter Jessica,
who represented the family at the Wood Memorial.
"He is ecstatic, absolutely ecstatic. If
you compare it to the World Series, his emotions
were right up there with that."
The
Derby won't be new for the Boss. He's been there
four times before, but never with one of the
favorites. His first starter, Steve's Friend,
was fifth in 1977. Diligence, in 1996, and Concerto,
in 1997, finished ninth, and Blue Burner was
11th in 2002.
Bellamy
Road earned $450,000 to boost his career earnings
to $611,400.
Galloping
Grocer, the New York-bred that wintered at Aqueduct
with his eye on the classics, was rated far
off the pace by Mike Luzzi and never threatened,
finishing fourth. e was beaten more than 26
lengths. Naughty New Yorker, Pavo, and Going
Wild completed the order of finish.
Bellamy
Road, the narrow favorite over last place finisher
Going Wild, paid $7.10, $4.90, and $4.10. Survivalist
returned $6.10 and $5. Show bets on Scrappy
T were good for $5.90.
|
