Belmont Park: Toasting rallies to win Dream Rush Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – Toasting, beaten in her last five stakes tries, overcame a slow start to rally from last and win Sunday’s $100,000 Dream Rush Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths at Belmont Park.

The win was one of three on the card for jockey Jose Ortiz, and at 10-1, Toasting helped create a pick-six carryover of $45,383 into Wednesday’s program, which kicks off the final week of racing at Belmont.

Toasting is owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, which owned Dream Rush when she won the Prioress and Test, both Grade 1 races, in 2007.

In her Grade 1 attempts, Toasting finished third in the four-horse Frizette at 2 and fourth in the five-horse Mother Goose in June. Since the Mother Goose, Toasting was twice defeated in overnight stakes, one at Saratoga and one here earlier in the meet.

On Sunday, Toasting was last after a slow start and remained last before being swung six wide by Ortiz turning for home.

Merry Meadow, who stalked the pacesetting Guard the Empire, took the lead in midstretch, but Toasting came with her sustained bid to get the victory.

Toasting, a daughter of Congrats trained by Tom Albertrani, covered the seven furlongs in 1:23.27 and returned $23.40 to win.

Ortiz’s three-win day gave him 34 for the meet, second in the standings behind Javier Castellano.

Earlier on the card, jockeys Luis Saez and apprentice Manuel Franco escaped injury when their horses were involved in a spill during the sixth race.

Saez was unseated by Transplendid when his horse clipped heels around the far turn. Franco was unseated when his horse, Uman Candy, ducked out while trying to avoid Transplendid. The riders were deemed okay but were taken off their remaining mounts on the card for precautionary reasons. The horses involved in the spill were reported to be okay by their trainers, though Transplendid had some cuts on her left foreleg, according to trainer Phil Serpe.

In the ninth race, jockey Emmanuel Esquivel escaped injury when he was unseated by his mount, Holy Endeavor, around the far turn. Esquivel took up on Holy Endeavor after Spirit of Peace, under Angel Castillo Jr., hit the rail and veered into his horse.

Holy Endeavor was reported to be okay.