Big wins for Pennsylvania-breds on Belmont Stakes undercard

Two longtime Pennsylvania breeding programs notched victories on Saturday’s star-studded Belmont card, with Spring Quality winning the Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes and Prince Lucky taking the Easy Goer Stakes.

Spring Quality races as a homebred for George Strawbridge Jr.’s Augustin Stable, and he was making his first start against Grade 1 company in the Manhattan. The son of Quality Road had just two horses beaten at the quarter pole, came eight wide into the lane, and rallied furiously to be up by a neck in a blanket finish.

Strawbridge resides in Cochranville, Pa., near Derry Meeting Farm where he keeps much of his stock. He also bred and campaigned Spring Quality’s dam, the Deputy Minister mare Spring Star; granddam, multiple graded stakes winner Alice Springs; and great-granddam, Grade 1 winner First Approach.

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Prince Lucky is a homebred for Daniel McConnell, and was up by a neck in the Easy Goer Stakes in a three-way photo. The victory came one day after he was crowned the Pennsylvania-bred champion 2-year-old male of 2017 for a campaign in which he won the Pennsylvania Nursery at Parx.

Prince Lucky, a gelding, is a son of Corinthian, who stood at Pin Oak Lane Farm in Pennsylvania before being exported to continue his career in Turkey. McConnell co-bred and co-owned dam Lucky Notion, by regional stallion Great Notion.

◗ Both champion Abel Tasman, who won the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes on Saturday at Belmont, and Manhattan winner Spring Quality are by Quality Road and out of Deputy Minister mares.

Quality Road, who stands at Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, Ky., is coming off a career year in 2017. Abel Tasman won three Grade 1 races highlighted by the Kentucky Oaks and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff to earn Eclipse Award honors. He had a second Eclipse champion in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Caledonia Road.