Coastal Mission becomes millionaire, notches first graded stakes in Forty Niner

Coastal Mission captured his first graded stakes victory and eclipsed the $1 million mark in career earnings in the process Saturday at Aqueduct taking the Grade 3, $250,000 Forty Niner Stakes by one length over Nelson Avenue.

It was the 14th win – sixth in a stakes but first graded – from 25 career starts for Coastal Mission, a 5-year-old West Virginia-bred gelding by Great Notion owned and trained by Jeff Runco who has now earned $1,091,653. This was his sixth try in a graded event. He had two seconds, one in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile at Monmouth and one in the Grade 2 John Nerud at Aqueduct, both earlier this year.

“He’s such a great horse, he tries every time, he’s been knocking on the door for the last three or four [graded] races,” Runco said in a post-race interview on the Racing Across America broadcast. “It looked like a great spot today, it liked like there was some speed and it would set up for him. He got a great trip, the jockey rode him perfect and he got it done today.”

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Under Arnaldo Bocachica, Coastal Mission was sixth early while Nelson Avenue, Jefferson Street, and Film Star were in a forward position through an opening quarter in 22.86 seconds.

Nelson Avenue, under Dylan Davis, had secured a clear lead around the turn and straightening for home.

Bocachica advanced Coastal Mission four wide and he was able to corral Nelson Avenue outside the sixteenth pole and edged clear. He covered the mile in 1:36.10 (91 Beyer Speed Figure) and returned $11 to win,

Nelson Avenue finished second by one length over Winit, the 35-1 longest shot on the board. Repo Rocks was fourth followed by favored Jefferson Street, Film Star, and Stage Raider. Messier, the 5-2 second choice, was pulled up in deep stretch while found to have bled through the nostrils. He was vanned off.

Bocachica told NYRA publicity that Coastal Mission broke sharp but when all the speed went, he was content to take him off the pace.

“I just put him behind horses and he relaxed perfectly,” Bocachica said. “I was just waiting for the moment to let him go, and every time I asked him a little bit, he gave me whatever I asked for.”

This was the second graded stakes for Bocachica, who won the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks in 2016.

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