Golden Pal just gets by at 1-5 in Troy Stakes
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Golden Pal found a new way to win, but he certainly made it tough on his backers at 1-5.
A front-runner -- win or lose -- throughout his 10-race career, Golden Pal found himself behind horses for the first time in Friday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Troy at Saratoga after breaking a step slow under Irad Ortiz Jr. Still, the overwhelming favorite was able to reel in a stubborn, upset-minded True Valour to win the Troy by a head at Saratoga. It was a neck back to the late-charging Thin White Duke in third.
Arzak, Yes and Yes, Spycraft, and Carotari completed the order of finish.
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The victory was the seventh from 11 career starts for Golden Pal -- he’s a two-time Breeders’ Cup winner -- a 4-year-old son of Uncle Mo owned by Westerberg Limited and the Coolmore connections of M.V. Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith and trained by Wesley Ward.
Since Golden Pal returned from England, where he finished last of 16 at the favorite in the Group 1 King’s Stand at Royal Ascot, Ward had Ortiz work Golden Pal a couple of times from behind horses. Still, Ortiz went into the Troy thinking he would be on the lead.
“He just moved to the right when they opened the gate, so I had to go to plan B,” Ortiz said.
Plan B became to sit third while True Valour, under Feargal Lynch, who ran an opening quarter in 21.93 seconds chased by Carotari.
Ortiz made a three-wide move on Golden Pal approaching the top of the stretch and it appeared that he was poised to easily go on by True Valour. But the latter, an 8-year-old gelding making his 34th career start, hung tough before Golden Pal was able to get up late.
Ortiz said when Golden Pal broke awkwardly, “I wasn’t afraid to take a hold and drop in and to sit and wait because I was working with the horse and he was no problem in the morning to sit in behind horses.”
Golden Pal, a son of Uncle Mo, covered the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:00.92 and returned $2.60 to win.
Ward said he was glad Golden Pal had an outside draw, which he believed aided him in his ability to overcome the slow start.
“We got to the outside. A lot of times when you stumble and get behind horses and get stuck in a trap and you’re in trouble,” Ward said. “But we were fortunate when that happened that we drew an outside post like that because there was nothing in front of him for any impediment.”
Lynch, up from Maryland to ride the 8-year-old True Valour for Graham Motion, thought he was going to pull the upset.
“We got it very easy in front and when we kicked I thought we had won it,” Lynch said. “Frustrating. We’re just two old men in the twilight of our career and we’re just enjoying it.”
Ward said Golden Pal will likely be given a chance to prove his capability on dirt, most likely in the Grade 2, $350,000 Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 7.
It’s important to [the owners] for him to show what the horse can do on the dirt as well,” Ward said. “Through all these minor issues he’s had through his career, I kept him on the grass to keep him sound. But he’s never been as sound as he is now.”