Blind Ambition speeds to Elusive Quality triumph

Blind Ambition used raw speed to win the $125,000 Elusive Quality Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday, giving jockey John Velazquez his second win on the card and the 5,900th of his career.

Blind Ambition broke alertly from post 1 in the Elusive Quality, a seven-furlong race run over a Widener turf course rated good. He outsprinted 3-1 favorite Commute for the early lead and set fractions of 22.24 and 45.09. He had plenty of energy left for the stretch run and held safe late-running Conquest Panthera by two lengths while stopping the teletimer in 1:20.65.

Blind Ambition is a 4-year-old son of Tapit, who was bred and is owned by Gainesway, and trained by Todd Pletcher. Byron Hughes, Pletcher's New York assistant, saddled Blind Ambition for the Elusive Quality.

"We were hoping he would break sharp coming out of the one hole," Hughes said. "There wasn't a whole lot of speed coming into the race, so when he broke well, that really helped Johnny out and he gave him a great ride."

Velazquez, in addition to his 5,900 victories in North America, also has one win in his native Puerto Rico.

Conquest Panthera finished 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Undrafted, who rallied from last while making his 8-year-old debut. Ready for Rye, who was in contention throughout, lacked the needed closing kick and finished fourth. Commute weakened to finish sixth.

Last year at 3, Blind Ambition won four of nine starts, including the Quick Call, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds. His Saturday victory snapped a three-race losing streak that included a fifth-place finish last month in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf going a mile at Gulfstream Park and a 10th-place effort in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint in January.

Blind Ambition paid $12.40 as the third choice in the Elusive Quality, getting a 103 Beyer Speed Figure.

- additional reporting by David Grening