Henley's Joy surprises in Belmont Derby

ELMONT, N.Y. – The connections of Henley’s Joy felt his 0 for 5 record this year was more a result of bad luck than bad performances. Saturday, Henley’s Joy was both lucky and good in pulling off a 20-1 upset in the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational at Belmont Park.

Receiving a ground-saving trip under Jose Lezcano, Henley’s Joy was able to find running room in upper stretch and he outfinished Social Paranoia to win the Belmont Derby by three-quarters of a length. It was another half-length back to Rockemperor in third.

The win was the fourth from 11 starts for Henley’s Joy and first since he captured the Pulpit Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream Park last December.

“We’ve always maintained that he was this kind of horse, he just had so much bad racing luck,” said Jeff Bloom, president of Bloom Racing which owns Henley’s Joy. “It’s easy to make excuses in races, but this is a horse that truly did have so much bad luck. For him to showcase his ability against these kinds of horses is so gratifying.”

Bloom felt that Henley’s Joy was bothered at the beginning of the Grade 2 American Turf and was bumped in the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge. In neither race was he beaten very far.

Saturday, Lezcano, riding Henley’s Joy for the first time, put the horse right into the race out of the gate, ultimately settling in third position down the backside as Moon Colony set the pace, stalked intently by Blenheim Palace.

Henley’s Joy was inside of Social Paranoia. Coming to the head of the lane, Manny Franco moved Social Paranoia three wide while Lezcano was waiting for room along the inside. Fortunately for Lezcano, Moon Colony did keep going while Blenheim Palace began to retreat at the quarter pole.

Though Social Paranoia did get first run at the leader, Lezcano was able to get Henley’s Joy outside and into the clear and he was able to run by Social Paranoia inside the sixteenth pole.

“At the three-eighths I smooched a little bit, he kind of jumped into the bridle, but I got no place to go,” Lezcano said. “But the horse in front he went on long enough where I could go now, and when I asked him he took off like he was breaking out of the gate.”

The win was the 43rd of the meet for Lezcano, putting him one ahead of Luis Saez for the meet title with one day remaining.

Henley’s Joy, a son of Kitten’s Joy trained by Mike Maker, covered the 1 1/4 miles in 1:58.29 and returned $43.60 to win as the second-longest shot on the board in the 14-horse field.

Social Paranoia, who finished three-quarters of a length in front of Henley’s Joy when the two were third and fourth in the Pennine Ridge here on June 1, was simply second-best, according to his trainer Todd Pletcher.

“We didn’t think there was much pace in the race, we didn’t mind being forwardly placed. It looked like he got in a really good stalking position, just couldn’t pull it off,” Pletcher said. “Good effort.”

Rockemperor, making his first start in the U.S. and first for Chad Brown, rallied from last to be third, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of stablemate Digital Age. He was followed by Seismic Wave, the 9-2 favorite, Plus Que Parfait, Standard Deviation, Cape of Good Hope, Moon Colony, English Bee, Spinoff, Bleinheim Palace, and Master Fencer.

Demarchelier, who won the Pennine Ridge in June and who was the 5-1 second choice Saturday, was pulled up by Javier Castellano heading into the far turn.

Trainer Chad Brown said that Demarchelier was diagnosed with a lateral condylar fracture to his right foreleg and would undergo surgery either Saturday night or Sunday morning at the Ruffian Clinic across the street from Belmont where he was transported an hour or so after the race. Brown said the prognosis for recovery was good but that no decision would be made on his racing future until a later date.

Henley’s Joy’s future will include the $1 million Saratoga Derby on Aug. 4.