Bee Jersey noses Mind Your Biscuits in Met Mile thriller

ELMONT, N.Y. - Bee Jersey jumped into the deep end of the pool and made quite the splash, holding off multiple graded stakes winner Mind Your Biscuits to take Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.2 million Metropolitan Handicap by a nose at balmy Belmont Park.

Able to make the lead through a relatively soft first quarter under Ricardo Santana Jr., Bee Jersey had just enough to hold and earn his first Grade 1 victory. A son of Jersey Town, owned and bred by Charles Fipke, Bee Jersey won for the fourth time in as many starts this year and fifth in six starts since he was returned last summer to the U.S. from Dubai and transferred to Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

“It’s a great race to win, great source of pride for the Fipke breeding program and the quality of horses it’s churning out, he’s another example of that and we’re just fortunate to have him,” said Asmussen, who won this prestigious race for the first time.

Bee Jersey had won two allowance races and the Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile entering the Met Mile. But the manner in which he won those three races - by a combined 19 1/4 lengths - made him the favorite in an 11-horse field that had won 30 stakes and earned nearly $12 million.

Part of the reason for that was the fact that, on paper, Bee Jersey looked like the lone speed in the race. He got to the front in 23.08 seconds, and maintained a one-length lead through a half-mile in 45.71 and six furlongs in 1:09.28. Bolt d’Oro, One Liner, and Limousine Liberal were among the ones chasing him early, but Bolt d’Oro and One Liner were done by the quarter pole.

Turning for home, it became evident that Mind Your Biscuits, the $3.1 million-earning New York-bred, was revving up for a stretch run under Joel Rosario.

Mind Your Biscuits kept charging at Bee Jersey through the lane but Bee Jersey held on at the wire by a desperate nose.

Bee Jersey covered the mile in 1:33.13 and returned $8.50 as the 3-1 favorite.

“My horse is a fighter, he showed it today,” Santana said. “He was waiting for the horses, I know [Mind Your Biscuits] was the horse I had to beat. When [Bee Jersey] felt him he took off again and gave the second kick to pass the wire first.”

Referencing the close photo, Asmussen said, “I thought he won, but I’m never happy ‘til they put the number up.”

Mind Your Biscuits, the 122-pound highweight making his first start since winning the Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan on March 31, was second by 5 1/4 lengths over Limousine Liberal. Discreet Lover, the longest shot on the board at 79-1, finished fourth. He was vanned off after jockey Manny Franco dismounted galloping him back. Franco said he felt the horse was sore.

Ransom the Moon was fifth, followed by McCraken, Good Samaritan, Awesome Slew, One Liner, Warrior’s Club, and the 3-year-old Bolt d’Oro.

Chad Summers, the trainer of Mind Your Biscuits, said in the days before the Met Mile that Bee Jersey was the horse he was most concerned about.

“If he got loose on the lead, he was going to be tough,” Summers said. “Twenty-three the opening quarter, Ricardo stole the race right there. It’s tough to close on a horse like that, that’s getting better and better for Asmussen. But I’m really proud of him, he ran his eyeballs out.”

The Met Mile was a “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November at Churchill Downs. Asmussen said that race will be a goal and he will sit down in the near future to map out a plan to get there.