Divisidero uses big late kick to win Pennine Ridge

ELMONT, N.Y. – He hit the side of the gate at the start, raced extremely wide, and was closer to the pace than he previously had been. The only similarity to this race and Divisidero’s previous three starts was his devastating closing kick.

Divisidero, under Rafael Hernandez, used that late foot of his to record a familiar result, outfinishing Takeover Target by a neck to win the $200,000 Pennine Ridge Stakes at Belmont Park. It was 1 1/4 lengths back to Startup Nation in third.

The win was the third in four starts for Divisidero, a son of Kitten’s Joy owned by Gunpowder Farms and trained by Buff Bradley. He previously won the Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill Downs.

With the rails on Belmont’s inner turf course set up at 35 feet, the Pennine Ridge was run at a distance of about 1 1/8-miles, and Divisidero’s final time of 1:48.03 is considered a course record. This is the second year that the Belmont inner turf course could handle a rail setting of 35 feet.

“This horse will run them down. He’s got a lot of heart,” Bradley said. “He goes after a horse, and he knows how to win, obviously.”

Hernandez said Divisidero hit the side of the gate when the doors opened, causing him to take an awkward step and lose his left iron. Hernandez said he quickly put his foot back in the iron but was wide entering the first turn.

Made in Detroit was able to set a slow pace of 25.13 seconds for the quarter and 49.50 for the half-mile while Hernandez had Divisidero five wide down the backstretch. Sensing the slow pace, Hernandez allowed Divisidero to get within three lengths of the pace.

He was traveling outside of Takeover Target, who under Irad Ortiz Jr. seemed loaded with horse. Approaching the top of the stretch, Ortiz took a peek behind him, saw Divisidero, and called on his horse to open up, which he did, gaining a full-length advantage in midstretch.

But Divisidero kept on coming and was able to wear him down in the final few strides. Divisidero returned $6.30 as the second choice.

“We told him, ‘Don’t let him get too far back and try to make up all that ground,’ ” Bradley said. “And Raffy realized that down the backside and did get him in position and didn’t use him and did give him a breather and then made his run. I thought it was a very good ride by him.”

Hernandez said he made sure to wait before asking Divisidero for his best.

“I don’t ask him for everything until we get more into the stretch,” he said. “I switched the whip to the left hand, and he just took off.”

Chad Brown, the trainer of Takeover Target and Startup Nation – the 4-5 favored entry – felt both his horses ran well and would likely come back and meet Divisidero again in the $1.25 million Belmont Derby on July 4.

“I think both of them deserve a shot in that race based on what I saw today,” he said.