Black Tide holds off Offering Plan in Mohawk

ELMONT, N.Y. - Black Tide used his abundant speed to his best advantage Saturday in the $200,000 Mohawk at Belmont Park, leading at every call before holding off the odds-on Offering Plan to register his first stakes win in 34 career starts.

Black Tide was pressed briefly for the lead by Cloontia before edging clear in the run down the backstretch after a 47.92-second opening half-mile split.

Black Tide, a 5-year-old son of Hold Me Back, settled into the stretch with a comfortable advantage under his regular rider Jose Lezcano and was never seriously menaced, reaching the wire 1 1/4 lengths in front of the late-striding favorite.

Offering Plan was reserved near the rear of the seven-horse field by jockey Javier Castellano. He angled to the outside leaving the final turn, then back to the rail seeking a clear path once settling into the stretch, finishing best of all once finding some daylight only to run out of real estate at the end. Rapt was third with Converge, All Is Number, and Cloontia rounding out the complete order of finish.

Black Tide was claimed from Ivery Sisters Racing and trainer David Cannizzo for $35,000 in his 2016 finale and then re-claimed by the same connections for $25,000 out of his next start one month later. He has raced exclusively on grass ever since while also allowed to roll along on the lead in each of his eight subsequent outings, five of which have ended in victory, including the Mohawk.

Black Tide ran 1 1/16 miles on a firm course in 1:40.98 and returned $10.20.

“I don’t want to say he’s a simple horse to ride, but you have to let him rip,” Cannizzo said. “When you look, the faster (the pace), the better he runs. He keeps going. When you try to rate him, he doesn’t have that other gear. Jose (Lezcano) gets him to finish better than anyone.”