Comparative battles back to take Ladies Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Saddle Up Jessie and Comparative came to the quarter pole of Saturday’s Ladies Stakes at Aqueduct side by side. Saddle Up Jessie, on the outside, was well in hand under Sheldon Russell. Comparative was under a drive along the inside from Manny Franco, the latter admitting concern.

“I saw Sheldon loaded so I was worried, but at the same time my filly is one-paced so I know she’s going to battle for me and she did,” Franco said.

Did she ever. Comparative, as much as a half-length behind Saddle Up Jessie in the lane, came back from the eighth pole to the wire to snatch a neck victory over Saddle Up Jessie in the 152nd renewal of the $150,000 Ladies Stakes at snowy Aqueduct. It was 6 1/4 lengths back Evidencias in third.

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The win gave trainer Brad Cox a sweep of Saturday’s first two stakes on the 2024 NYRA circuit. Earlier in the day, Cox won the $150,000 Jerome Stakes with the 3-year-old Drum Roll Please.

The Ladies was the first stakes win for Comparative, a 4-year-old Godolphin Racing homebred daughter of Street Sense. After an eighth-place finish in the Black-Eyed Susan in May, Comparative was given a break. She returned with a hard-fought 1 1/4-length second-level allowance win going a one-turn mile here on Nov. 25.

Saturday, Comparative stalked the pace-setting She’s Mo Bubbly through a half-mile in 49.75 seconds over a main track rated fast, but playing slow. Saddle Up Jessie was clocking that duo from third.

Saddle Up Jessie on the outside and Comparative on the inside moved in tandem around the far turn and left She’s Mo Bubbly behind by the quarter pole.

It was just a matter of who could gut it out through the lane and it turned out to be Comparative.

“At the eighth pole, [Russell] stayed there right next to me, I said ‘I’m going to come back,’ “ Franco said. “For me, he kind of moved a little too soon and that’s going to cost him late.”

Saddle Up Jessie was running back just two weeks after winning the Carousel Stakes at Laurel. Russell, riding for his wife Brittany, was cognizant of that and tried not to move too early.

“In hindsight, maybe I let her out a little too soon, but you could see I’m still holding on to her in case something like this did happen where she sort of inherited the lead too early,” Russell said. “It’s a long stretch and I think that what happened is she pricked her ears and she allowed Manny to come back.”

Comparative covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:55.83 and returned $6.20 as the favorite.

Evidencias proved best of the rest, finishing 11 1/4 lengths ahead of Know It All Audrey. She’s Mo Bubbly and Rayya Valentine completed the order of finish.

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