Aqueduct: Inherit the Gold outgames Isn't He Perfect in Action

Entering Sunday’s $75,000 Action Stakes, trainer James Hooper described his New York-bred Inherit the Gold as “game.”

Most people who watched Sunday’s feature at Aqueduct would concur with that assessment after watching Inherit the Gold wear down Isn’t He Perfect - to whom he was spotting five pounds - to win the Action by a head. It was 2 1/2 lengths back to Tech Fall in third.

The win was the second in four starts this year and 10th in 24 career races for Inherit the Gold, a 6-year-old son of Gold Token owned by Susanne Hooper, Glas-Tipp Stable, and Ochre House Stable.

Breaking from the rail under Eddie Castro, Inherit the Gold saved ground for the opening six furlongs of the race before being guided four wide leaving the three-furlong marker.

Eighttofasttocatch, under Rosie Napravnik, set the pace, pursued first by Arthur’s Tale then Isn’t He Perfect, who was running back just two days after finishing second in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance race.

Isn’t He Perfect passed Eighttofasttocatch inside the eighth pole but a persevering Inherit the Gold kept on charging to get a head in front at the wire.

Inherit the Gold covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.13 and returned $11. The 9-2 odds represented the highest price for Inherit the Gold since he was $4.90-1 in last year’s Charles Town Classic.

Hooper credited Castro - who won three of the first four races at Aqueduct on Sunday - for a terrific ride.

“Eddie Castro is riding as well as he’s ever ridden,” Hooper said. “He won that race for us.”

Hooper said he would wait several days before determining where next to run Inherit the Gold. There is a New York-bred overnight stakes at Belmont Park on April 29. There is also the $300,000 Pimlico Special on May 18 in Baltimore.