Garcia brings home a pair of longshots in New York-bred stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Jockey Alan Garcia swept Sunday’s two juvenile stakes for New York-breds aboard double-digit priced longshots, winning one in a laugher and the other by a hard-fought half-length.

In the $65,000 East View Stakes for New York-bred fillies, Garcia put 26-1 shot Queen’s Harbor on the lead immediately out of the gate and the pair never looked back, winning the race by 4 1/2 lengths over previously undefeated Miss Valentine, the 4-5 favorite.

It was 7 1/2 lengths back to Saltamontes in third.

Queen’s Harbor, a daughter of Mizzen Mast, ran the mile and 70 yards in 1:44.11 and returned $55 as the longest shot on the board. The victory completed a superb opening week to the inner track meet for trainer Rick Violette, who won four races from nine starters. He is also the owner of Queen’s Harbor, who was coming off a sixth-place finish in the Swirlaway Stakes here on Nov. 17.

“I was disappointed in her race last time,” Violette said. “We hooked Saltamontes pretty hard and we backed up. Alan thought she would improve around two turns, where the pace is a lot different. She’s probably supposed to be better on the turf, but we never had the chance to experiment with her. We might move her over there in the spring.”

Two hours, 25 minutes later, Garcia won the $65,000 Damon Runyon Stakes for New York-bred males aboard Beau de Beaupre, who stalked the early pace of Never Right Joey then won a three-sixteenths of a mile stretch drive with Artie Luvsto Party by a half-length. It was 1 1/2 lengths back to Preachintothedevil in third.

Beau de Beaupre, a son of Holy Bull, ran the mile and 70 yards in 1:45.33 and returned $23 to win.

“He’s always acted like he could run, but now he seems to be getting stronger,” said winning trainer Jimmy Jerkens. “The horse came out of there running, and I was glad to see the other horse [Never Right Joey] take the lead so he had a target. I told Alan he shies away when a horse comes to his outside, so I said to be ready with his left hand, and he was.”

Said Garcia: “What I wanted to do today was put him in the right position. On the turn, I had to ask him a couple of times - he’s still a little green - but he came through. He’ll only get better.’’

Beau de Beaupre is owned by Luca Williams’s Nassau CC Stables.

* Due in large part to an upset by System Restore ($140) in the fifth, there will be a pick-six carryover of $30,230 entering Wednesday’s card at Aqueduct.