Adding blinkers pays off for Fulmineo in James W. Murphy Stakes

BALTIMORE — Fulmineo benefited from a clean outside run to best Crystal Quest by 2 1/4 lengths in Saturday’s $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes for 3-year-olds at Pimlico.

Trainer Arnaud Delacour told Daily Racing Form earlier this week that he hoped the addition of blinkers would help Fulmineo, usually a stretch runner, to stay a bit closer to the early pace.

“If he would be a little bit more tactical, that would be great,” Delacour said. “In his last couple of races, he really dropped out of it, and it was very difficult for him to overcome.”

Mission accomplished.

While Fulmineo didn’t magically turn into a speed demon, he settled comfortably about eight lengths off the lead as Speedyness and Tocayo controlled fractions of 24.90, 51.88 and 1:18.39 over a soft turf course.

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Jockey Flavien Prat unleashed Fulmineo with a four-wide bid on the final turn, and they burst to the lead in upper stretch. Crystal Quest, held up badly behind horses along the inside on the second turn, shook clear with a good run, but it was too little, too late.

At the wire, it was Fulmineo in 1:44.78. Crystal Quest was a length better than third finisher Abrumar. Then came Massif, Echo Lane, Speedyness, Naptown, Tocayo and Buckin’ Dreamer.

Lucky Jeremy, Twirling Point and Copper Tax scratched.

Fulmineo returned $6.60 to win as the betting favorite.

“I thought there was plenty of pace, specifically in the first quarter, over this kind of ground,” Delacour said in the winner’s circle. “He was nice, relaxed, and very responsive. When Flavien asked him, he was pretty decisive about coming. He never came with a huge turn of foot, but he kept coming.”

Crystal Quest’s rider, Javier Castellano, felt that trip made the difference in the outcome. Last on the rail entering the final bend, Crystal Quest tried to sneak through along the fence, but was forced to check hard when Naptown came over on him.

“He got completely stopped,” Castellano said. “I was saving all the ground on the first turn. I was following [Naptown]. He decided to go outside, and I took a position. Right when I took my position, [jockey Tyler Gaffalione] changed his mind and brought [Naptown] back to the rail. That’s when I checked the horse and stopped my momentum. I had to rebreak, and he took off. He came flying. The winner got the jump outside. I would have won. I think I had the best horse in the race.”

Bred in Maryland by Country Life Farm and Starr of Quality LLC, Fulmineo sold for $90,000 as a yearling and is owned by Starlight Racing and Mark Grier. He is by Bolt d’Oro out of stakes winner Starr of Quality,

Second in the Grade 2 Pilgrim during the Belmont at the Big A meeting last fall, Fulmineo placed in Tampa Bay’s Columbia Stakes on March 9 before finishing second in an allowance against older horses at Laurel Park on April 19, his final prep before the James W. Murphy.

Fulmineo has won 2 of 9 starts for lifetime earnings of $179,275

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