Belmont Park: Compliance Officer wins fifth straight in Mohawk Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – Compliance Officer continues to run roughshod over his fellow New York-bred turf males, this time rolling to a dominant five-length victory in Saturday’s $125,000 Mohawk Stakes at Belmont Park.

Lubash, who chased the early pace established by Writingonthewall, did well to hold second, 1 1/4 lengths in front of Adirondack Summer.

It was the fifth consecutive victory for Compliance Officer, all since being claimed for $25,000 in May by owner Thomas LaMarca and trainer Bruce Brown. He added the Mohawk to victories in the Ashley T. Cole in September and the West Point at Saratoga in August.

“It’s not only that he’s been winning, but he keeps doing it so impressively,” Brown said. “Usually with these horses, they kind of come in and out, but he’s just been bringing his ‘A’ game every time.”

Under Alex Solis, Compliance Officer raced in fourth position along the inside behind a modest pace. Turning for home, Solis was able to guide Compliance Officer off the rail and into the three path, and he surged to the front inside the eighth pole and galloped home a convincing winner.

Compliance Officer, a 5-year-old son of Officer, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.93 over a yielding inner turf course. He returned $3.70 as the favorite.

“Bruce has done a great job with him,” Solis said. “Every time I’ve gone to work him, I could see he’s getting better and better. He’s so confident right now. He broke sharp, and I took the position I wanted. I had to be a little patient around the turn. I got him out, and he did his stuff.”

Brown said he would look to run Compliance Officer in the $100,000 Emerald Stakes, part of the Claiming Crown at Fair Grounds on Dec. 3.

Ticonderoga: Hessonite beats elders

In this day and age, a trainer running a horse back in 12 days is often viewed with a raised eyebrow.

As a disciple of the Hall of Fame trainer Woody Stephens, trainer David Donk says it’s simply old school.

Running back 12 days after finishing second in the Pebbles Stakes against open company, the 3-year-old filly Hessonite took her elder New York-bred females to school in the $125,000 Ticonderoga Stakes, rallying five wide in the stretch to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

Gitchee Goomie, a multiple stakes winning 4-year-old, finished second, 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Frivolous Buck.

The win was the fourth from six starts this year for Hessonite, a 3-year-old daughter of Freud owned by Philip DiLeo and William Punk.

Donk only ran Hessonite in the Pebbles on Oct. 10 because the John Hettinger Stakes for New York-breds on Sept. 25 got rained off the turf.

“The way I look at it, 12 days ago she worked a really good mile,” Donk said.

Under Ramon Dominguez in the Ticonderoga, Hessonite raced in seventh position, but only about four lengths off a slow pace established by Mystic City and pressed by Rogue’s Jewel. The early fractions were 25.86 seconds for the quarter and 52.35 for the half-mile.

Around the far turn, Hessonite crept into contention, but was forced to go five wide in the stretch. Hessonite was still three lengths off of it in midstretch, but she lengthened her stride and came with a furious finish to outkick Gitchee Goomie.

Hessonite covered the 1 1/16 miles over yielding turf in 1:45.87 and returned $7.50 as the second choice.

“She happened to be laying a little closer than she has been with me in the past, but still turning for home they were so bunched up because of the slow fractions,” said Dominguez, who is now 4 for 4 on Hessonite. “It looked like they were staying together, and I’m already on the outside and I choose to go after them around the turn where I was extremely wide. The filly that ran second was picking it up pretty good, at that point, my filly took off the last part. I don’t know how fast she came home, but the last sixteenth was pretty fast.”

Donk said he would most likely put Hessonite away for the year and point to a 4-year-old campaign.