Longshot Spring Quality gets up in blanket Manhattan finish

ELMONT, New York – Spring Quality is an older horse with few starts, Edgar Prado is an older jockey with a whole lot of starts, and Graham Motion is a middle-aged trainer with a knack for winning the Manhattan Stakes.

The three formed a winning combination Saturday at Belmont Park, with Spring Quality up at the wire to capture the $1 million Manhattan.

A year after 27-1 shot Ascend upset the Manhattan with Motion guiding his path, Spring Quality pulled a 18-1 surprise. Passed by a fast-moving Sadler’s Joy on the far turn, Prado left his cozy spot along the inside to follow that live horse into the homestretch. Sadler’s Joy pounced on three leaders in the final furlong while four wide, but there came Spring Quality even farther out on the course to get up by a neck.

It was an amazingly bunched finish, with a neck or a head separating each of the first nine finishers home, and five lengths covering the entire 13-horse field at the wire. Last home, though not beaten far, was 9-5 favorite Beach Patrol, who tracked the pace but had no stretch punch.

“I was in a good spot, but when I tried to get into position at the three-eighths pole he just wasn’t in the bridle,” said Beach Patrol’s jockey, Joel Rosario.

Second choice Robert Bruce was stuck in traffic much of the trip but lacked the gears to hit his spots and checked in sixth. Behind Sadler’s Joy came Hi Happy, who ran a brave race from a tricky spot inside and just behind pacesetting Hello Don Julio. Manitoulin was an admirable fourth, Fashion Business a surprising fifth at 43-1.

Six-year-old Spring Quality raced once in 2014, then not at all until 2016. He didn’t make his turf debut until last October, when he started in his first graded stakes, and the Manhattan, his first try in a Grade 1, was just the 10th start of his career.

Prado’s 10th start came sometime in 1986, his first year as an American jockey. He has ridden more than 38,600 races and won more than 7,000 of them. Prado, who was born in Peru, is 50 now, plying his trade on the Maryland circuit, his opportunities in major races down to a trickle. But Motion has continued giving Prado chances when most trainers look elsewhere. Prado’s most recent Grade 1 wins came on the Motion-trained Miss Temple City.

“Graham has been great,” Prado said. “He’s one of the guys that has stuck with me. I can’t say enough good things about him.”

George Strawbridge undoubtedly also has complimentary words. He bred and owns Spring Quality, a son of Quality Road and the Deputy Minister mare Spring Star whose career, until last year, lacked anything approaching star quality.

But midway through last season Motion began seeing signs from this gelding, a towering chestnut who wouldn’t look out of place jumping fences in three-mile races. He won the Grade 3 Red Smith last fall at Aqueduct, and Motion earlier this week said he was surprised Spring Quality had finished second to Robert Bruce on May 5 in the Fort Marcy Stakes here.

That start got Spring Quality a race over the Belmont turf, but he drew very poorly in post 13 for the Manhattan and didn’t look like a winner until midway through the homestretch,

“The post wasn’t good, but they ran away from him early and I was able to save ground on the first turn and part of the second turn,” Prado said.

Prado had two horses behind him as the leaders set even splits of 24.08 seconds, 48.54, and 1:12.01. Going into the far turn, the horse that looked like a winner was Sadler’s Joy, who was always into the bridle Saturday and responded to a tactical change meant to get him into the race earlier. With Beach Patrol and Robert Bruce spinning their wheels, Sadler’s Joy hit the front at about the eighth pole but could not quite close the deal, and as Javier Castellano worked hard to get his mount to the front, the danger came from behind.

Prado said Spring Quality didn’t really start rolling until the quarter pole but by midstretch he was flying.

“I knew he was trying hard, but I didn’t know if he’d get there,” Prado said.

Spring Quality’s legs might be six years old, but they are still fresh, still willing, and with a final surge he pushed past Sadler’s Joy and on to million-dollar success.

“How about two years in a row winning this race with a longshot? It’s pretty crazy,” said Motion.

Spring Quality ran 1 1/4 miles in 1:58.58 and paid an even $38.

Prado, who once won 535 races in a single year, scored his 17th victory of 2018 in the Manhattan. Somehow, two of those have come in $1 million races, the first in the Charles Town Classic in April, and now in Motion’s race. After Ascend and Spring Quality, it will fun to see what Motion has in store a year from now.