Aqueduct: Marilyn's Guy noses out San Pablo in As Indicated

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – One reason Tony Dutrow preferred running Marilyn’s Guy in the As Indicated Stakes rather than the Stymie on Saturday at Aqueduct was he didn’t want to run the horse 1 1/8 miles off an 11-month layoff.

Considering the trip he had, Marilyn’s Guy may have run farther than nine furlongs, yet still had enough to win a stirring stretch drive with 1-4 favorite San Pablo to take the one-mile As Indicated by a nose. The As Indicated replaced the Stymie as Saturday’s feature.

San Pablo, who had won two similar stakes earlier in the meet, finished second by 1 1/4 lengths over Linebacker. Isn’t He Perfect and Day of Destiny completed the order of finish.

Marilyn’s Guy, a 6-year-old gelded son of Yonaguska owned by Mike Dubb and trained by Tony Dutrow, won for the eighth time in 24 career starts. It was his first stakes victory.

Under C.C. Lopez, Marilyn’s Guy acted up in the starting gate and was away slowly. So instead of being forwardly placed as was the plan, Marilyn’s Guy was last heading into the clubhouse turn.

Lopez kept Marilyn’s Guy in the four-to-five path down the backside as he gradually gained on the leaders, Isn’t He Perfect and San Pablo, who dueled heads apart through a half-mile in 48.45 seconds.

Marilyn’s Guy, still three wide around the turn, drew on even terms with San Pablo, under Cornelio Velasquez, at the five-sixteenths pole. From there the two were inseparable, with Marilyn’s Guy, an imposing gray gelding, besting San Pablo on the wire.

Lopez said Marilyn’s Guy’s slow start may have been caused by the gelding’s blinkers being on too tight, which led to him throwing his head around.

“I’m supposed to be head and head with San Pablo,” Lopez said. “To make a long story short that’s what I get the big bucks for. The other horse ran favorably as well; gave me all I could handle.”

Marilyn’s Guy covered mile in 1:37.37 and returned $8 as the second choice.