Financial Modeling gets uncontested lead, takes Queens County
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Speed was good at Aqueduct on Saturday. The connections of Financial Modeling opted to use his. The connections of Tommy Macho elected not to use theirs.
Thus, Financial Modeling, allowed to coast along on an uncontested lead under Irad Ortiz Jr., galloped to a 4 1/4-length victory over 6-5 favorite Tommy Macho in Saturday’s $100,000 Queens County Stakes. It was a length back to Kid Cruz in third.
The win was the fourth from eight starts for Financial Modeling, a 4-year-old son of Street Sense owned by Seth Klarman and William Lawrence who was making his stakes debut. It was also the 200th win of the year for trainer Chad Brown, his 49th in a stakes race.
Brown indicated he was only 50-50 to run after entries came out on Wednesday. But with no real other place to run Financial Modeling and with the older male dirt division a bit light in New York this winter, the Queens County was a good spot to find out if he belonged.
Though he was coming off a second-level allowance race on turf on Nov. 28, Financial Modeling had won twice previously on dirt, including a maiden win at Parx on the front end.
According to assistant trainer Cherie DeVaux, Brown instructed Ortiz to put Financial Modeling on the lead, and they were able to open a 2 1/2-length lead over Tommy Macho through a quarter run in 24.15 seconds, a half-mile in 48.12, and six furlongs in 1:12.05.
Approaching the quarter pole, Tommy Macho, under Kendrick Carmouche, tried in vain to make a run at Financial Modeling, who just extended his advantage through the lane with a couple of reminders from Ortiz’s left-handed whip.
Financial Modeling covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.60 and returned $9.50 as the third betting choice in the six-horse field. Following Kid Cruz, the order of finish was Mylute, Turco Bravo, and Desvelo.
“Chad told me to go to the lead so I warmed him up good and tried to go to the lead,’ Ortiz said. “You didn’t see too much speed in the race; the other speed was Tommy Macho and last time he won from off the pace. I thought if I get the lead he’s going to sit right next to me. He relaxed so good for me. I put my hands down and when I asked him he was there.”
Carmouche picked up the mount on Tommy Macho when his mount, Perfect Title, scratched. Carmouche subbed for Javier Castellano, who was named by trainer Todd Pletcher to ride Tommy Macho but rode at Gulfstream Park Saturday instead.
“I was good where I was sitting. I could have gone to the lead and get pushed the whole way but Todd didn’t want this horse to be inside of horses because he gets intimidated,” Carmouche said. “I figured if I sit second outside and stalk he should be better. Today wasn’t his day. A better horse beat him.”