Aqueduct: King and Crusader right back to win Winkfield

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Three days after winning a race in which he was eligible to be claimed for $75,000, King and Crusader won a stakes race worth $75,000.

King and Crusader, under Cornelio Velasquez, rallied past the front-runners Yo Koffy and Deliburnsky at the eighth pole and had more than enough to hold off stablemate Reserved Quality to win the $75,000 Jimmy Winkfield by three-quarters of a length at Aqueduct.

The first- and second-place finishers were both trained by Richard Dutrow Jr., who ran both horses for a $75,000 claiming price here last Friday. King and Crusader won that race while Reserved Quality finished fourth.

Still, Dutrow felt strongly enough about both horses to supplement them to the Winkfield.
"It was all Rick," said James Riccio Sr., who owns King and Crusader. "He said when we run big [Friday] we're going to think to run right back. I said 'All right, babe.' "

King and Crusader finished first for the fourth time in seven starts. He was, however, disqualified from his victory in the $75,000 Maryland Juvenile Championship on Dec. 17 because the horse was deemed to have been administered Lasix too close to the race, according to Maryland racing officials. Riccio confirmed Monday that he has filed an appeal of that disqualification.

In the Winkfield, King and Crusader got a perfect trip under Velasquez. Yo Koffy, under Jose Flores, set the pace of 22.48 and 45.42 seconds while being chased by Deliburnsky. King and Crusader was about three lengths behind them in third.

Approaching the quarter pole, Velasquez tipped King and Crusader three wide and he went past the pacesetters at the eighth pole. King and Crusader covered the six furlongs in 1:11.72 and returned $9.90.

"At the five-sixteenths I think I had the race," Velasquez said. "I had a lot of horse. I asked and he passed the leaders. The other Dutrow horse was coming, but I had a lot of horse. He tried hard. It was three days, but he won easy today."

Reserved Quality, owned by Dutrow, rallied from next to last under Irad Ortiz Jr. to get second by 3 1.4 lengths over Deliburnsky. Yo Koffy and Done Done Done were next. He Can Run was eased and vanned off. McKinley Square scratched.