Hangover Kid wins Bowling Green photo

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Hours after coming out on the wrong end of one photo in a $200,000 stakes race, trainer Jason Servis came out on the right end of another.

Hangover Kid, under the hot-riding Jose Lezcano, split horses in mid-stretch and won a head-bob over 3-5 favorite Grandeur in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Bowling Green Handicap at Belmont Park. The win came about 90 minutes after the Servis-trained Tightend Touchdown was beaten a nose by the popular Ben’s Cat in the $200,000 Parx Dash.

“This sort of takes some of the sting out of that,” Servis said by phone from Parx. “I feel better now.”

The win helped keep Lezcano on a roll heading into Saratoga. Last Saturday, Lezcano won three graded stakes at Belmont.

Also, Hangover Kid became the most recent New York-bred to win a graded stakes. Last week, Zivo won the Grade 2 Suburban and last month Hot Stones won the Grade 3 Bed o’ Roses and Palace won the Grade 2 True North.

Hangover Kid had been graded-stakes placed before, having finished third in last year’s Grade 1 United Nations and second in last month’s Grade 2 Monmouth Stakes. This was his first graded win and seventh career victory in 24 career starts.

“It’s huge,” Servis said. “Those people bred him and let me space him properly."

Servis was referring to Stephen and his wife, Leana Taglienti, who race under the name Four Tags Stable in honor of their four children.

Hangover Kid saved all the ground under Lezcano behind Horvat Clan who set pedestrian fractions of 25.63 seconds, 51.93, and 1:17.53 for six furlongs while basically uncontested. Rosario made a three-wide move on Grandeur and he struck the front in mid-stretch. Hangover Kid needed some running room and got it when Boisterous, under John Velazquez, drifted out, forcing Grandeur out another path.

Hangover Kid shot through the opening and, carrying seven pounds fewer than Grandeur, was able to prevail in a bob at the wire. Hangover Kid, a son of Lemon Drop Kid, covered the 1 1/2 miles in 2:28.18 and returned $11.40 to win.

“I had nowhere to go, I pray that it open up for me,” Lezcano said. “When Johnny got out a little bit, my horse see daylight and he take off.”

Rosario said that Grandeur appeared to wait on horses once he struck the front. Grandeur finished three-quarters of a length in front of Sky Blazer, who was followed, in order, by Boisterous, Reflecting, and Horvat Clan.

“Maybe I should have waited a little longer to make my move, but I never rode him before,” Rosario said. “He gave me his best, that horse on the inside just got the trip.”

Servis said he would like to get Hangover Kid to the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita. Toward that end, he may look to run Hangover Kid in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational at Saratoga on Aug. 17.