Lubash beats familiar foes in Kingston

ELMONT, N.Y. – It’s no longer a matter of who the top three finishers will be in New York-bred turf stakes; it’s just a matter of what order they’ll finish in when they all run.

On Monday, it was the old pro Lubash who came out on top in the $125,000 Kingston Stakes, finishing a length in front of his old nemesis Kharafa, the 4-5 favorite, with King Kreesa checking home third this time after leading the way into the stretch.

Lubash, the oldest member of the field at 8, rallied from off the pace under a well-judged ride by his regular jockey, Junior Alvarado, to wear down Kharafa in the final sixteenth of the one-mile Kingston. Kharafa had overtaken King Kreesa in early stretch before ultimately proving no match for the winner on this day.

The victory was the first for Lubash in the Kingston in his fifth try. He was beaten a length by Kharafa when second-best in the race a year ago and was third behind King Kreesa and Kharafa in 2013.

Lubash, who eclipsed the $1 million mark in lifetime earnings when winning the Grade 3 Tropical Turf Handicap at Gulfstream Park West in his 2014 finale, paid a surprisingly generous $10.20 on Monday for his 13th victory in 41 career starts.

“It’s a fun thing to see the same three horses repeating all the time,” said winning trainer Christophe Clement. “They are three really nice horses, and it shows you they’re very consistent, and it’s nice because the people get very familiar with them. [Lubash] is a nice horse, and it’s not like he’s just a New York-bred. He can compete in open company. I took him to Florida last year, and he won the Grade 3 in December. It says a lot about the New York-bred program.”