Dakota Gold rebounds with Spectacular Bid victory
Making his first start since he suffered his first loss as the favorite in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Dakota Gold won the $150,000 Spectacular Bid division of the New York Stallion Stakes for 3-year-olds at Belmont Park on Sunday.
He paid $3.10 for his three-quarter-length victory over Surprise Boss in the seven-furlong race on turf restricted to progeny of stallions based in New York. He posted a final time of 1:21.50.
With Irad Ortiz riding, Dakota Gold broke out at the start and bumped into One Time Willard. He recovered quickly and tracked Surprise Boss, who posted a half-mile time of 48.40 seconds. Dakota Gold collared Surprise Boss soon after turning for home and after a long duel he asserted himself in the final yards.
Surprise Boss set a moderate pace and was game in defeat. Marinara Sauced, who got bumped at the start by One Time Willard, came from a stalking position to finish a non-threatening third in the six-horse field.
It was the third win in four starts for Dakota Gold, who is trained by Danny Gargan.
A son of Freud, Dakota Gold races for Reeves Thoroughbred Racing.