Leinster extends win streak in Troy Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Leinster went 0 for 13 against maidens. He is now 3 for 3 versus winners.

Finding a new lease on life ever since he started sprinting on turf, Leinster made a successful stakes debut, rallying four wide in the stretch under Tyler Gaffalione to win Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Troy Stakes by three-quarters of a length at Saratoga.

Disco Partner finished second by a length over stablemate Pure Sensation. Wet Your Whistle was fourth followed by Rocket Heat.
World of Trouble, the 3-5 morning-line favorite, was scratched Saturday morning due to a bruised foot, according to his majority owner Michael Dubb.

ot only did Leinster win, he established a course record of 1:00.23 for 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, eclipsing the mark of 1:00.46 set by Lady Shipman in 2015.

Leinster, a 4-year-old son of Majestic Warrior, is trained by Rusty Arnold, who on Friday won the $750,000 Saratoga Oaks with Concrete Rose.
Leinster had four seconds and three thirds in 13 maiden races, 12 of them on the dirt and one going 7 1/2 furlongs - a two-turn race - on turf at Gulfstream Park. Owner Amy Dunne told Arnold she wanted to try Leinster in a turf sprint, in part because he is a half-brother to the two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Stormy Liberal, who was also last year’s older male turf champion.

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Arnold could not find a maiden race so he entered Leinster in a first-level allowance race as a maiden at Keeneland in April and he won by 3 3/4 lengths.

Two months later, at Churchill Downs, Leinster won a second-level allowance by 2 1/2 lengths.

“It wasn’t like he ran against nothing in those two starts, it’s just what he likes doing,” Arnold said of sprinting on the turf.

Even with the scratch of World of Trouble, the pace in the Troy was expected to be fast. It was.

Rocket Heat, under Chris Landeros, outsprinted Pure Sensation to the lead, but had to run fractions of 20.82 seconds and 43.01 to do it.
Disco Partner, sitting inside under Irad Ortiz Jr., tipped off the rail in upper stretch and made a short lead. But Gaffalione had Leinster in third and three wide early, then came four wide in the lane and he outfinished the two Christophe Clement-trained gray millionaires to get the win. Leinster returned $13 as the fourth choice in the five-horse field.

“I thought it would be a quick pace, I didn’t expect it to be that fast,” Gaffalione said. “When they were out there winging it I was very happy where I was, he was traveling well into the bit. Coming off the turn I asked him for run and he finished the job nicely.”

Arnold said Leinster would be pointed to the $700,000 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint on Sept. 7, which is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

Trainer Christophe Clement liked his chances with either Disco Partner or Pure Sensation when World of Trouble scratched, but had to settle for second and third, respectively.

“Both jocks thought their two horses ran well, they were just second and third best on the day,” Clement said. “I was a bit surprised for Pure Sensation to not be on the lead to tell you the truth and when I saw the fractions I [understood]. We’ll live to fight another day.”