Americathegreat lands first stakes triumph in Sands Point
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The regally-bred Americathegreat earned her first career stakes victory Friday while giving jockey Javier Castellano even more reason to celebrate on his birthday as the pair combined to win Friday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Sands Point Stakes by a half-length at Belmont Park.
Sitting about five lengths off the runaway speed of longshot Cosmic Candy Girl, Americathegreat gradually moved into contention around the far turn. Turning into the lane, as she made her way to the leaders, Americathegreat was confronted from the inside by Bless Her, but Americathegreat was able to outfinish that one for the victory. Bless Her finished second by 1 1/2 lengths over the late-running Bohemian.
Castellano, who earlier this year won his 6,000th career race, turned 49 years old on Friday. He is in the Hall of Fame and is a four-time Eclipse Award winner.
“Forty-nine, I feel like an 18-year-old,” Castellano said in an interview with America’s Day at the Races.
Castellano said he was happy with the position he had early on in the Sands Point and was confident that Americathegreat, being a daughter of Horse of the Year Curlin out of the graded stakes winning mare America, would be able to handle the 1 1/8 miles, a distance she was trying for the first time.
“First time going a mile and an eighth. I had to take that into consideration [as she would] not get tired at the end and just take my time,” Castellano said. “I break good out of the gate, got a good position and gave her a little breather on the backside. I like the way she fought at the top of the stretch to get to the winner at the finish line. I'm so proud of her."
Bless Her, cutting back in distance from 1 5/16 miles, ran a solid second in what was designed to be a prep for the $500,000 Jockey Club Oaks at Belmont on Nov. 28.
Americathegreat, owned by Gary Barber and D J Stable and trained by Mark Casse, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.18 and returned $13.74 to win.
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