Good decisons by Trombetta, Vargas lead to Bella Aurora's Interborough upset

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Both trainer Michael Trombetta and jockey Jorge Vargas Jr. had decisions to make regarding Bella Aurora and Monday’s $100,000 Interborough Stakes at Aqueduct. Both made the right call.

First, Trombetta scratched Bella Aurora out of Saturday’s What a Summer Stakes at Laurel to run in the Interborough. Then, Vargas, with the option to go outside or inside turning for home, opted for the inside route. That proved to be right path as Bella Aurora took the shortest way home to pull off a 37-1 upset in the Interborough.

Bella Aurora beat the four-wide rallying Needs Supervision - at 8-1 the second-longest shot on the board - by one length. Needs Supervision got second by a neck over Saguaro Row, who was rallying furthest out in the stretch. It was 3 1/2 lengths back to Portal Creek, the 4-5 favorite, who was followed by Call On Mischief and Alisio.

The win was the fourth from 12 starts for Bella Aurora, a 4-year-old Virginia-bred daughter of Carpe Diem owned by the Country Life Farm of Josh and Mike Pons.

Trombetta credited his owners with choosing the Interborough over the What a Summer, a six-furlong race that featured the ultra-tough Hello Beautiful, who won that race for her third consecutive victory.

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“They fell to the favoritism of the extra eighth of a mile,” Trombetta said.

Trombetta said he thought he was reaching in either spot and just hoped to hit the board Monday. Any optimism he had was based on the fact Bella Aurora “has been training exceptionally well for quite some time,” he said.

Bella Aurora was last of six early while Alisio and Portal Creek were heads apart through a quarter in 22.78 seconds and a half-mile in 45.60. Call On Mischief, under Eric Cancel, appeared to be sitting a garden trip in third.

Vargas had Bella Aurora out in the track down the backside, but then moved her toward the rail entering the far turn. Vargas had plenty of horse coming to the quarter pole and was starting to angle her toward the outside. But when Alisio came well off the rail, Vargas abruptly maneuvered Bella Aurora to the inside and she was able to outfinish Needs Supervision and Saguaro Row to the wire.

“I was trying to work my way out but the rail opened up so big I just went straight in there and got the job done,” Vargas said.

Vargas said Trombetta never called him with any instructions.

“I was on my own,” he said.

Trombetta, who watched the race from South Florida, said he started to call Vargas earlier in the day, but thought “What is there to talk about? She’s a real easy-going type of horse. I’m sure he looked at the Form.”

Bella Aurora covered the seven furlongs in 1:25.63 and returned $76.50 to win and topped a $195.50 exacta for a $1 wager.