Chance to shine for Everybodyluvsrudy
Improving Rodriguez 3-year-old enters off allowance win July 4 at Belmont
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » With a sharp improvement in form in his last race, Everybodyluvsrudy put himself in Friday’s $100,000 Curlin Stakes.
The Curlin, at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, is for 3-year-olds that have not won a graded stakes over a mile this year.
As such, it is an opportunity for that group to avoid Saturday’s rich Jim Dandy Stakes and still earn a chance in the Travers Stakes in four weeks.
Everybodyluvsrudy is coming off a Belmont allowance victory on July 4 at one mile, for 3-year-olds and up.
“We were kind of surprised,” commented trainer Rudy Rodriguez. “We’ve always liked the horse and he has always trained good, but it looked like in the last race he got it all together. He’s going to have to step up here because it looks pretty deep. He’s coming to the race good and he looks good, and he’s going to have to wake up even more, because he has to.”
The son of Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags has always hinted at ability, enough so that he was fifth in last year’s Hopeful Stakes to Practical Joke as a maiden.
In his next start he was second to Mo Town, who later last fall captured the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes.
“Maybe he’s coming back a little quicker than we want, but there aren’t too many three-year-old races now, and we always wanted to run him a mile and an eighth, so this is a good opportunity for that,” said Rodriguez. “Hopefully we’ll get a good position.”
Owned by Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables LLC, Everybodyluvsrudy breaks from the rail under jockey Paco Lopez.
“He’s pretty easy to train, a very comfortable horse and a nice horse to be around,” said Rodriguez. “No complications with him. He can be a little playful in the stall, but that is good.”
You’re to Blame and Outplay both exit the Easy Goer Stakes at Belmont Park on June 10.
You’re to Blame looks well-spotted in the Curlin, having earned a share of
of the purse with good efforts in the Grade 3 Bay Shore and Grade 3 Pat Day Mile in his two starts prior to the Easy Goer.
Outplay won two straight before the Easy Goer, both in front-running fashion.
His second victory, on May 6 at Parx, was by a length and a half over stablemate Thirst for Victory, who is in the Curlin off an allowance score at the Pennsylvania track on July 1.
Small Bear was very sharp in his last, scoring at this distance at Belmont Park on June 24.
He broke his maiden last December by nearly six lengths over Outplay.
The field’s only graded stakes winner is Hemsworth, who captured the Grade 2 Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct last fall.
It is his only career victory in five starts, and he has not been out since finishing third in an upper level optional claimer at one mile on April 28 at Belmont.
Perfect Partner, coming off a maiden victory on July 3, completes the Curlin field.
Today’s distance should be no problem, as he was a good second at 1 ¼ miles at Churchill Downs in his previous race.