Masen runs away from reduced field in Seek Again
Masen delivered at 1-5 on Sunday, when he tracked the pace and darted home over two others to win the $100,000 Seek Again at Belmont Park.
The one-mile turf race went with a field of three following the scratch of both Field Pass and Mandate.
Masen won by five lengths over Duke of Hazzard, while it was another 17 lengths back in third to pacesetter Wolfie’s Dynaghost.
Masen is trained by Chad Brown, who on Saturday won the Preakness with Early Voting.
“It was a great weekend and I’m so proud of my team and this group of horses,” Brown told the New York Racing Association publicity department. “Masen is a really exciting horse moving forward. It’s been a terrific weekend and my team deserves all the credit getting these horses ready.”
Masen ($2.50) sat just off the pace set by Wolfie’s Dynaghost, who took his rivals through an opening quarter in 23.64 seconds and a half-mile in 47.40. The eventual winner moved on from the leader through six furlongs in 1:11.43 and won in hand. Masen covered the distance on “good” ground in 1:34.94.
“I was on the best horse in the race, so I just tried to give the best ride I could and keep him out of trouble,” winning rider Manny Franco told NYRA. “In the beginning he was pulling me because he was in the clear, so I was trying to put him behind the horse on the lead. I just engaged the horse on the lead and my horse did the rest. He was ready for the race. I never asked him at all and he just was eased at the eighth pole.”
Juddmonte Farms bred and owns Masen, who is a son of Kingman. The horse came into the Seek Again off a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland in April. He was beaten a nose by Shirl’s Speight and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 104.
“It was a tough loss last time when he got beat by a really good horse over in the Maker’s Mark Mile,” Brown told NYRA. “It was his first time racing in [this] country and he got nailed. I wanted to give him a confidence booster and it worked out perfect.”
Brown said the next major objective for Masen is the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave on Aug. 18 at Saratoga. Masen has now won 4 of 8 starts for earnings of $288,798.