Sue’s Fortune holds on in G2 Adirondack
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » In breaking her maiden at first asking on July 5, Sue’s Fortune went gate to wire in winning by 8½ widening lengths. Run back in Saturday’s $200,000 Adirondack Stakes (G2), the New York-bred daughter of Jump Start did not argue the pace, instead stalking in midpack under Junior Alvarado.
Sent three-wide late on the turn after the half went in :45.53, Sue’s Fortune took command of the race in upper stretch, holding off all comers – including a remarkable late bid by Virginia Eloise – to prevail by a half-length. The running time for 6½ furlongs over a main track rated “good” was 1:19.83.
from the back of the pack. With five lengths to make up at the eighth pole, the daughter of Curlin closed with a furious rush, falling a half-length short at the wire.
“She broke good but not as sharp as last time,” Alvarado said of Sue’s Fortune. “We wanted to put a little pressure [on] early, though. I was sitting in perfect position; by the three-eighths pole, she started pulling me. I saw horses struggling, and I saw horses coming near, so I thought I had to take a shot at that point – to let my filly go and hope she would hold [on]. It worked out.
“It seems like [the track] is fast on the backside, but from the quarter-pole to the wire, horses are struggling to get home,” Alvarado added. “You can feel it. It’s a lot more heavy than it looks like.”
Guacamole finished third, 2¼ lengths behind the runner-up. Mucho Amor, Lyrical Lady and Grandma Gertie completed the order of finish.
Sue’s Fortune races for owner/breeder Richard Nicolai of Fortune Farm.
“Deep stretch, I was a little worried,” admitted winning trainer Jeremiah Englehart. “Top of the stretch I felt pretty good, but I thought Junior made the right move; he thought the leader was getting a little leg weary. He wanted to take the race then and see if they could come and catch her, and we held on.”
Favored Lyrical Lady (75) made the early running, tearing through a quartermile in :21.72, with Mucho Amor keeping her company a length or so back. Those two held their positions until Sue’s Fortune made her move approaching the quarter-pole. The latter straightened out with a two-length lead, and after turning back a mild bid from Guacamole, appeared to be home free with a three-length lead at the furlong pole.
But the race wasn’t quite over yet. Virginia Eloise, who had lost her action on the backstretch and at one point trailed by better than 10 lengths was in full flight