Lone Rock all by himself at conclusion of Birdstone Stakes, has won 7 of his last 8

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Lone Rock continued his winning ways and did so in style once again Thursday at Saratoga, rolling to an easy and popular four-length victory over longshot Shooger Ray Too in the $120,000 Birdstone Stakes.

Moretti finished a tiring third in defense of his title in the 1 3/4-mile fixture named for the winner of the 2004 Belmont and Travers stakes.

Lone Rock entered the Birdstone off three consecutive one-sided victories and six wins in his last seven starts, including an 11 1/4-length tour de force in the Grade 2 Brooklyn two months earlier at Belmont Park. As a result Lone Rock, a former claimer, was forced to carry high weight of 124 pounds under the allowance conditions of the Birdstone, conceding up to six pounds to his six rivals including both Shooger Ray Too and Moretti.

With regular rider Ramon Vazquez aboard, Lone Rock was rated just off the pace of Moretti, who took the early initiative and showed the way under his new rider, Irad Ortiz Jr. Moretti, a 1 1/2-length winner of the 2020 Birdstone, set the pace through modest fractions for a mile and one-eighth before being engaged by Lone Rock approaching the stretch. Lone Rock drew off with complete authority upon settling into the stretch the second and final time around.

Shooger Ray Too, the second longest price on the board at 22-1, had raced beyond a mile and one-sixteenth only once in nine previous starts. He raced forwardly placed and continued willingly enough to be second best while never menacing the winner. Moretti gradually weakened upon relinquishing the lead, finishing another length back in third.

Lone Rock, trained by Robertino Diodoro for Flying P Stable, completed the grueling 14 furlongs in 2:56.45 over the firm course and paid $3.70. He earned $66,000 for the effort, swelling his 2021 earnings to more than $512,000.

“He ran big again, he ran the way he’s been training, like a monster,” said Diodoro. “He’s a horse with a big heart right now. We just have to keep it going. A talented horse that’s happy and healthy is always dangerous. And the further he goes, the stronger he gets. He loves it.”

Diodoro said he wasn’t surprised to see Moretti take the early lead.

“I kind of thought that was going to happen and Ramon did exactly what I told him to do, not to let him get away from him, just kind of breathe on him, pressure him,” said Diodoro. “Sometimes in these kind of races I’ve seen horses get out to the front, open a few lengths and just put everyone to sleep and we definitely didn’t want that to happen. Ramon did an excellent job of staying on Irad the whole way.”