Elite Power shows class in True North
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ELMONT, N.Y. — Elite Power won his seventh consecutive start with a classy 1 3/4-length victory over Anarchist in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 True North Stakes for 4-year-olds and up traveling 6 1/2 furlongs at Belmont Park.
Trained by Bill Mott, the reigning champion sprinter settled in the second flight as Today's Flavor set moderate fractions of 23.25 and 46.12 seconds while prompted by Strobe.
Elite Power travelled comfortably under Irad Ortiz, Jr., swung three wide into the stretch and ran right by the leaders. He completed the distance in 1:15.65 seconds, earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure, and returned $3.50 to win as the betting favorite.
Anarchist, who raced in the pocket behind horses on the turn, altered course to the outside at the three-sixteenths pole, and finished nicely for second.
It was another 3 3/4 lengths back to Strobe in third. Then came Today's Flavor, Fearless, and Synthesis, who steadied along the inside late on the backstretch.
"[Irad] said he just nudged him once and he went right up there for him," Mott said in the winner's circle."
Mott considered entering Elite Power in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan Handicap at a one-turn mile, but ultimately opted for the True North.
"It was in our conversation," Mott said about the Metropolitan. "I honestly didn't feel like I had him ready to go a mile in a race like the Met Mile. He's done a lot of traveling. He went to the Middle East and back. When you do that, you miss some training, and we haven't had the most aggressive training."
A 5-year-old son of Curlin out of Grade 2 winner Broadway's Alibi, Elite Power was bred in Kentucky by Alpha Delta Stables, and was purchased by Juddmonte for $900,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September yearling sale.
Elite Power began his winning streak with a nine-length maiden victory at Churchill last spring, then went right through his two allowance conditions.
He made his graded stakes debut with a facile 5 3/4-length triumph in the Grade 2 Vosburgh at the Belmont at the Big A meeting on Oct. 8, then nailed down championship honors with a rallying win in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland.
Elite Power ran overseas in his 2023 debut and was a comfortable winner over good sprinter Gunite in the Group 3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia. He has now won 7 times from 10 starts for lifetime earnings of $2,443,211.
"He's a man," Mott chuckled about Elite Power's temperament. "He'll get a hold of you if he can. You don't want to go up and pet him because he'll get a hold of your arm."
Although Mott considered stretching Elite Power out in distance for the Met Mile, he said it's likely Elite Power will remain sprinting this summer at Saratoga.
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