Beatbox outlasts Strong Quality in Fair Grounds Stakes
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After overnight rains there were only two turf races conducted on Saturday at Fair Grounds, and the inside path proved to be the road to victory in each.
An hour after Spirit and Glory rallied along the rail to win the $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial for females, Beatbox used the same trip under Joel Rosario to outfinish the pacesetting favorite Strong Quality by a neck and win the Grade 3, $175,000 Fair Grounds Stakes for males. The result was a reversal of last month’s Colonel Bradley Stakes at Fair Grounds in which Strong Quality was able to dictate terms and defeat Beatbox by a head.
In that race, Beatbox got an inside trip before Joel Rosario tipped him out wide in the stretch, and his late run fell just short.
On Saturday, despite breaking from post 9 in the field of 11, Rosario was able to guide Beatbox to the rail by the first turn and saved all the ground thereafter.
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Strong Quality, under Florent Geroux, was able to dictate terms again. He was about a length clear through a quarter in 23.76 seconds, a half-mile in 48.66 and six furlongs in 1:13.06, stalked by Rising Empire.
Johny’s Fireball, under Ricardo Santana Jr., was following that pair from the inside. Turning for home, Santana guided Johny’s Fireball to the outside, which allowed Rosario to stay on the rail. Strong Quality kept on fighting while Beatbox came through on the inside and Johny’s Fireball was coming three wide.
In the end, Beatbox got there by a neck over Strong Quality, who held off Johny’s Fireball by a neck for second. It was 2 1/4 lengths back to Gigante in fourth. He was followed in the order of finish by Chasing the Crown, Harlan Estate, Rising Empire, English Tavern, Duke of Carthania, Camp Home and Palazzi. Money Supply scratched to run in the Grade 3 Mineshaft Stakes one race earlier on the card, which he won.
Beatbox, a 6-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile owned by Rob Comestro and Jeff Ganje, covered the 1 1/8-miles over soft turf in 1:49.96 and returned $11.60. He earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux said the difference in the Fair Grounds and the Colonel Bradley was trip.
“The rail opened up and he popped through there and just got a better trip this time,” she said.
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