Kazmike grabs lead early, keeps it in Times Square

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Though he was running a maiden against a two-time stakes winner, Peter Kazamias, owner of Kazmike, had confidence his 3-year-old would be up to the challenge in Saturday’s $200,000 Times Square division of the New York Stallion Stakes at Aqueduct.

That confidence was rewarded when Kazmike, under Trevor McCarthy, was able to make the front and never yielded that position, holding Unique Unions at bay to win the Times Square by 1 1/4 lengths. Meanwhile, it was 5 1/4 lengths back to Barese, the two-time restricted stakes winner and 1-5 favorite who was running back just two weeks after a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial.

Kazamias said when he saw Barese was in the entries, it didn’t concern him too much because “he was coming back in two weeks,” Kazamias said.

Kazamias said part of his confidence in his horse was the fact he lost a shoe in his most recent race when he finished second in a six-furlong maiden race.

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“We knew when we entered he was going to run big,” Kazamias said. “He lost last time because of the shoe.”

Seeing how well speed was playing on Saturday, Kazamias wanted McCarthy to get Kazmike to make the lead. McCarthy wasn’t sure his horse could outbreak Unique Unions, and when the gates opened, Kazmike broke a bit outward. But McCarthy hustled Kazmike to the lead and to the rail and secured a one-length advantage over Mister Larry through a quarter in 22.61 seconds and a half-mile in 46.38.

“When he was sharp in the post parade and he sprung out of there I really made an aggressive move to go to the lead and get to the rail, which it seems like it’s a great place to be,” McCarthy said.

Unique Unions, who was third early, made a run at Kazmike and officially had a head in front at the furlong marker. But Kazmike still had horse underneath him, and being on the rail helped him edge clear late.

“He’s bit of a grinder, I wanted to let him get into stride, I wanted to make sure I got his lead changed; last time he didn’t want to switch,” McCarthy said. “He really likes to run in the bridle. I wanted to get a good hand ride and get in a good rhythm before I went to go sticking him. He really gave me a second gear when I switched sticks.”

Kazmike, a son of Bank Heist trained by Dimitrios Synnefias, covered the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18.70 and returned $20.80.

Barese had won his first three starts - including the Rego Park and Gander - against New York-breds and figured to be tough to beat in this spot. Jockey Dylan Davis said the horse was a bit fractious in the gate, which may have caused him to break inward a touch.

“I started getting on him into the turn, but he came up flat down the stretch,” Davis said.