Churchtown leads all the way in Gio Ponti Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Junior Alvarado sent Churchtown to the lead from his inside draw and, despite getting some token early pressure, Churchtown led all the way to take Saturday’s $135,000 Gio Ponti Stakes for 3-year-olds on turf at Aqueduct.

Churchtown held off a bid from Steady On, the 6-5 favorite, to win by a half-length. Steady On was a neck better than his Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate Grand Sonata.

The win was the fourth from eight starts for Churchtown, but first in a stakes race. Churchtown is a 3-year-old gelding by Air Force Blue owned and bred by William Harrigan and Mike Pientrangelo and trained by Roger Attfield.

Churchtown hadn’t run in two months, or since he was beaten a neck in the Toronto Cup on Sept. 10 at Woodbine. Attfield, who winters in Florida and who is already there, wants to run Churchtown in the Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 26 and saw the Gio Ponti as a nice bridge to that race.

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Alvarado, who had not ridden Churchtown before, said he was given no instructions on how to ride him. Breaking from the rail and knowing the horse has tactical speed, Alvarado took it upon himself to hustle Churchtown to the lead.

“Being in the one hole I thought I didn’t have much choice but to send him out of there,” Alvarado said.

Churchtown held a half-length advantage over Riot House through a half-mile in 50.92 seconds and six furlongs in 1:14.30. Though Riot House drew on even terms approaching the quarter pole, Churchtown showed an impressive turn of foot to open up from that one and hold Steady On at bay to the wire.

“He was never bothered by that horse, he took a nice breather two times in the race and I never felt [Riot House] was bothering my horse,” Alvarado said. “He was very relaxed and content where he was. When I turned for home I knew there was no way they were going to catch me, he had a hell of a turn of foot. I knew it was going to be enough to carry me to the wire.”

Attfield, watching the race from Florida, said when he saw the posted early fractions, he was glad Alvarado had him on the lead.

“I think his better races are when he can stalk a little bit because he does have a good turn of foot but when I saw the fractions I was happy to be on the lead,” said Attfield, who was sending out just his sixth Aqueduct starter since his last win here in 2010 with Making Melody in the Grade 3 Long Island.

Churchtown covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.48 over a turf course labeled firm and returned $13.20 as the third choice in the eight-horse field.

Following Grand Sonata in the order of finish was Dakota Gold, Riot House, Wicked Fast, Marinara Sauced, Ohtwoohthreefive and Wow Whata Summer.

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