Belmont: Boisterous repeats in Knickerbocker

Adam Coglianese/NYRA

Boisterous rallies from next to last under Jose Lezcano to capture the Knickerbocker for the second straight year.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The recipient of a patient ride by Jose Lezcano, Boisterous rallied from next-to-last to win Saturday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Knickerbocker Stakes by two lengths at Belmont Park.

 It was the second straight year that Boisterous won the Knickerbocker, making him the third horse to win the race in consecutive years. Charge d’Affaries (1999-2000) and Shady Character (1974-75) were the others. Boisterous, like Shady Character, is owned by the Phipps family.

 Boisterous, a 5-year-old son of Distorted Humor trained by Shug McGaughey, won for the eighth time in 20 starts. He is now 5 for 8 over the turf courses at Belmont Park. Two of his losses here were third-place finishes in Grade 1 races,

 Boisterous broke well and saved all the ground while racing in fourth position under Lezcano while Stormy Lord set fractions of 24.72 seconds for the quarter, 49.37 for the half-mile,  and 1:13.98.

 Not wanting to move too soon, Lezcano took a hold of Boisterous entering the far turn and he lost two positions.

 But Lezcano guided Boisterous to the outside approaching the quarter pole and once in the clear, Boisterous rallied strongly in the stretch to win relatively handily. See Tobe, a 22-1 shot, got up in the final stride to nose out Tune Me In for second.

 “He broke very good. I got the position I wanted. On the middle of the turn everybody moved, I still take a hold. I wasn’t shuffled back. I let them go,” Lezcano said. “When I swung out he gave me the kick I expected he’d give me.”

 Boisterous covered the 1 1/8 miles over a good inner turf course in 1:50.26 and returned $4.10 as the even-money favorite.