Bankit ends 13-race skid with Alex M. Robb victory

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - If not for a tendency to wait on horses, Bankit’s race record might look better than it does.

On Saturday, there was no hang in the 4-year-old New York-bred colt as he roared past Mr. Buff inside the final furlong and drew off to a 4 3/4-length victory in the $100,000 Alex M. Robb Stakes at Aqueduct.

The win was just the fourth in 26 career starts for Bankit and first since he won the New York Derby at Finger Lakes in the summer of 2019. He had lost 13 straight races. He has now earned $816,675.

“I’m glad for him that he finally got a win,” said Toby Sheets, the New York-based assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen. “It’s been a while.”

Bankit may have been the beneficiary of a slow start by race favorite Mr. Buff - the winner of the last two runnings of this race. Mr. Buff, running back a week after finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, was hustled by jockey Kendrick Carmouche to attain a forward position. He dueled with Sea Foam through a half-mile in 48.47 seconds and six furlongs in 1:12.66.

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Mr. Buff ultimately took over from Sea Foam in upper stretch, but Lezcano had Bankit on the move turning for home and he cruised by Mr. Buff inside the eighth pole and widened his advantage from there.

Mr. Buff finished second, three lengths clear of Yankee Division. Sea Foam, Danny California, and City Man completed the order of finish.

Bankit, a son of Central Banker owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.59 and returned $7.70 as the second choice.

“I watched a couple of his replays and it looked like he sometimes hangs a little bit,” Lezcano said. “Today, he broke good, I put him behind the two horses I thought I had to beat and when I asked him he gave me everything he had.”

Lezcano said in the stretch he purposely kept Bankit a few paths away from Mr. Buff “because I know he’s a fighter.”

Lezcano won three races on Saturday’s card, and since Nov. 27 he has won 22 races from 68 mounts in 10 cards at Aqueduct.

Prior to the start of the race, City Man broke through the starting gate but did not run off very far. City Man, who was directly inside of Mr. Buff, was still anxious in the gate, which, according to Carmouche, caused Mr. Buff to break slowly.

“He broke a step slow but then after that I got him to where I wanted to have him in the race,” Carmouche said. “He ran hard, he tried his best. I think if he hadn’t run seven days ago it’d be a different outcome.”