El Grande O rebounds with Sleepy Hollow win
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El Grande O returned to both the New York-bred ranks and winner’s circle on Sunday with a 1 1/4-length victory over stablemate B D Saints in the $200,000 Sleepy Hollow at Aqueduct.
It was another 5 1/2 lengths back in third to Aggelos the Great.
The Sleepy Hollow was one of eight divisional stakes for New York-breds on the card, making up the annual Empire Showcase. The races were worth a cumulative $1.6 million.
El Grande O ($3.30) was moving back into restricted company off a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Champagne. The last time he had raced against New York-breds he won the Bertram F. Bongard by more than eight lengths at Aqueduct in September.
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In the Sleepy Hollow, El Grande O raced with Solo’s Fury through an opening quarter in 22.82 seconds and, after a half-mile in 46.17, began to separate himself from his pace rival. El Grande O was in command into the stretch and went on to cover the mile distance on a muddy, sealed track in 1:37.98.
Jose Ortiz was aboard El Grande O for owner Barry Schwartz and trainer Linda Rice.
“He’s a dream to be around in the barn, he always has been,” Ortiz told the New York Racing Association. “I’ve been around him for a while now. We ran him on the dirt and he ran good. He ran good on the turf. He went back to the dirt and has been amazing. He’s a very cool, collected horse. Nothing bothers him, and he’s fast.
“I think he’s going to be tough in this crop and can do any distance six [furlongs] to a mile. The Champagne, you’ve got to draw a line through it. It was a very tough race. It was an off track, but he liked that today so it’s not an excuse. I think Linda managed him very well and I’m very happy for Barry and everybody in the whole team.”
El Grande O gave Rice and Ortiz their second stakes win on the card behind Amanda’s Folly in the Ticonderoga.
El Grande O is a son of Take Charge Indy. He was a maiden special weight winner on turf in July at Belmont Park.
Overall, he has now won 3 of 8 starts and has career earnings of $319,000.
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