Favorite Sombeyay gets up late in Sanford Stakes to win by a neck
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » With the need-to-lead types clustered on the outside and the horses who had demonstrated ability to come from off the pace occupying the two inside posts, Saturday’s $150,000 Sanford Stakes (G3) presented a dilemma for the riders of the latter two horses. A quick break could result in getting used up in the pace, while to take back might mean leaving too much to do.
Javier Castellano, aboard 5-2 favorite Sombeyay, chose a middle course, allowing the speedy Bano Solo and Strike Silver to duke it out on the front end while still maintaining contact with the leaders.
The two frontrunners were still there as the field straightened out, with Sombeyay moving into contention in third. Strike Silver collared Bano Solo at the eighth pole
but was far from home free. Sombeyay’s grinding run through the stretch eventually brought him alongside, and with a final surge approaching the wire, the favorite managed to stick a neck in front for the win.
“It was perfect,” said Castellano, who was aboard Sombeyay for the first time. “He broke good out of the gate and put me in the right position. I didn’t want to be too far back. When I asked, he took off. I loved the way he finished.”
The running time for six furlongs over a fast main track was 1:10.35. Whiskey Echo finished 3¼ lengths behind Strike Silver for the show. Bano Solo, Knicks Go, Lexitonian and Chase Greatness trailed in that order.
Sombeyay was the only horse in the field with stakes experience, as well as one of only two with more than one start coming in, a factor winning trainer Todd Pletcher believed was one of the keys to victory.
“I think in these early 2-year-old races, experience is huge,” said Pletcher. “Having two starts compared to others with only one, I think that helped today. I think the Hopeful (Sept. 3) would be the next logical step with three starts under his belt if he was tearing the barn down. We’ll see.”
Sombeyay, who competes for Starlight Racing, is now 2-for-3 with earnings of $136,500.