Majestic Dunhill ends skid with Bold Ruler triumph

ELMONT, N.Y. - When Majestic Dunhill got beat a head by Lenstar in an allowance race at Belmont Park on Sept. 25, jockey Joel Rosario felt perhaps his horse might have made the lead too soon and then hung.

On Saturday, in the Grade 3, $100,000 Bold Ruler Handicap at Belmont, Rosario wasn’t going to let that happen again. This time, Rosario waited as long as he could to make his final push to the lead and timed it just right as Majestic Dunhill beat pacesetting Secret Ride by a head. It was four lengths back to Arch Cat in third. Mihos was last.

Wendell Fong and Phat Man scratched.

As he did in the Sept. 25 allowance, Rosario had Majestic Dunhill second early on. On Saturday, though, Rosario put Majestic Dunhill directly behind Secret Ride. When Rosario guided Majestic Dunhill off the rail in midstretch, he had the gelding poised to pass, but he let him run on his own before asking him late.

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“If I go next to the horse I know he’s going to want to lay on him a little bit,” Rosario said. “I waited as much as I can so when it was time to go, just go on and go forward.”

Majestic Dunhill, a 5-year-old gelding by Majesticperfection owned by Randy Hill and trained by George Weaver, covered the seven furlongs in 1:22.48 and returned $5.90 as the second choice.

It was the fifth win from 21 starts for Majestic Dunhill and his first since he captured the City of Laurel Stakes at Laurel on Nov. 10, 2018. He had lost 10 straight races since.

It was his first win in a graded event from six tries. He had finished second in the Grade 3 General George at Laurel in 2019.

“This horse been good for us from when he was 2 to now,” said Blair Golen, assistant to Weaver. “He’s won races on the turf and dirt and always runs his best race even when we put him in a tough spot. We got fortunate here today and he really deserved a graded stakes win.”