Drafted leaves 1-5 favorite Happy Medium in the dust to win Toboggan

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer David Duggan said he would have been content had his 8-year-old gelding Drafted run second to heavy favorite Happy Medium in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan Stakes at Aqueduct.

“I was running for second,” Duggan said. “That’s how I thought it would be because I didn’t think we could beat [Happy Medium].”

Harkening to his 2019 form in Dubai where he won a pair of Group 3 stakes at Meydan, Drafted, last early under Jose Ortiz, ran by 1-5 favorite Happy Medium before the five-sixteenths pole and cruised to a 4 1/2-length victory in the seven-furlong Toboggan. Repo Rocks finished second, six lengths in front of Happy Medium in third.

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Hopeful Treasure, the Grade 3 Fall Highweight winner, finished fourth followed by War Tocsin.

Drafted, a Florida-bred gelding by Field Commission, ended a 12-race losing streak in the Toboggan. His last victory came in the Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal at Meydan 35 months ago.

Duggan said the only thing that gave him reason for hope going into the race is that Happy Medium had yet to win at seven furlongs or without the benefit of the anti-bleeding medication Lasix.

“Whereas we were going to be fine at the distance and with no Lasix,” Duggan said. “But, listen, this is a bonus, a huge bonus. He’s a cool old dude.”

Ortiz picked up the mount on Drafted because he was in town to ride Early Voting in the Grade 3 Withers later on the card. Dylan Davis, who had ridden Drafted in seven of his last eight races, was riding at Gulfstream on Saturday.

In the Toboggan, Ortiz was content to be last early on Drafted, but only four lengths off the pace. Happy Medium, under Manny Franco, put away War Tocsin after the opening quarter in 23.55 seconds.

Ortiz said that when he put Drafted in the clear midway down the backstretch “he jumped on the bit and he wanted to go.”

“I said might as well go now, it’s a small field,” Ortiz said. “I know that horse on the lead is a good horse. I said if I pass him early, maybe I’ll take his heart away.”

Happy Medium offered no response to Drafted’s move. Drafted opened up a four-length advantage in midstretch and basically kept that margin to the wire.

Drafted, owned by Dublin Fjord Stables, Racepoint Stables, Kevin Hilbert and Thomas O’Keefe, covered the seven furlongs in 1:25.06 over a muddy, harrowed surface and returned $15.80 as the second choice, while getting a 97 Beyer Speed Figure.

There was no show wagering offered on the Toboggan, but Drafted returned $9.30 to place while Repo Rocks returned $12.80 to place.

“He’s got such a following in Dubai,” Duggan said. “You wondered whether he was as good as he was, always running well without winning. He’s not an easy horse to train, so this was quite gratifying.”

Happy Medium was sent off the 1-5 favorite coming off three dominant victories. Franco said that early on the horse was moving as well as he had in his previous races.

“He was cruising on the lead nice and comfortable, but today wasn’t his day,” Franco said. “I knew I had somebody close to me and I tapped my horse on the shoulder and he did not respond. That’s why [Drafted] passed me like nothing, because my horse just wouldn’t go anywhere.”