The Mean Queen helps salve Brion's hurt with Lonesome Glory victory

ELMONT, N.Y. -- During the long walk across the expansive Belmont Park infield, tears hidden behind sunglasses after watching one of her horses perish due to a broken neck, trainer Keri Brion said she felt like quitting.

“I was walking back and said I don’t even want to do this,” Brion said.

But there was another race to run, two more horses that needed to be saddled including a once-in-a-lifetime mare who could make all the ill feelings subside, if even just for a little while.

Brion put the saddle on The Mean Queen -- as well as Galway Kid -- and then watched the hickory mare turn back a challenge from Snap Decision to win Thursday’s Grade 1, $150,000 Lonesome Glory Steeplechase by two lengths over that rival, capping a 45-minute roller-coaster ride of emotions for Brion and jockey Richard Condon.

“It’s amazing,” Brion said. “That’s the lowest of lows to the highest of highs you can go literally in 45 minutes.”

The Lonesome Glory was a highly anticipated showdown of the two current leading steeplechasers in training. Snap Decision, a 7-year-old gelding, came in on a nine-race winning streak. The Mean Queen, a 5-year-old mare, had just beaten the boys -- sans Snap Decision -- in the Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard last month at Saratoga. She would have had a five-race winning streak of her own had not The Mean Queen thrown jockey Thomas Garner in the Jonathan Kiser Stakes on July 28.

But 45 minutes prior to the Lonesome Glory, Baltimore Bucko, who won the Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick for Brion at Saratoga, failed to clear the third fence in the first race on Belmont Park’s opening day, the $75,000 William Entenmann Steeplechase, unseating Condon. Perfect Tapatino, ridden by Barry Foley, collided into Baltimore Bucko, who suffered a broken neck. (Perfect Tapatino and Foley were uninjured).

“That was so uncharacteristic of him,” Brion said of Baltimore Bucko. “Sometimes the best jumpers have the worst falls. He is literally the best jumper I have in the barn. That was just such a shock and obviously so sad. You almost don’t want to send the other two out.”

All seven horses cleared the 10 National fences in the Lonesome Glory. Bodes Well, who had led throughout, had a nine-length lead with the half-mile flat run to go.

The Mean Queen and Snap Decision were heads apart around the far turn and then passed Bodes Well leaving the quarter pole. The Mean Queen, under 157 pounds, was on the inside, when Snap Decision, away since June and under 164 pounds and Graham Watters, came to her. But The Mean Queen repelled the challenge and widened her advantage to two lengths at the wire.

The Mean Queen, owned by Buttonwood Farms -- who also owned Baltimore Bucko -- covered 2 1/2 miles in 4:37.83 and returned $4.90 as the second choice.

“I made a move sooner than I planned, but I was delighted that I had the rail to guide me to the wire and obviously a tough animal underneath me,” Condon said.

Condon lay on the ground for several moments following being unseated by Baltimore Bucko. He needed to be cleared by First Aid and was the last jockey out to the paddock.

“As soon as I shook myself off and I knew that all of my limbs were still intact there was only one focus and that was The Mean Queen,” Condon said. “Thankfully, we did everything that we could and we won.”

Condon called the Lonesome Glory “a proper Grade 1 for American standards. Snap Decision lost nothing in defeat. I think the two of them are proper Grade 1 horses and they’d be able to compete in Grade 1s in Ireland and England.”

Snap Decision lost his nine-race winning streak. Trainer Jack Fisher said this race should tighten him up for the Grand National at Far Hills on Oct. 16. He said the Lonesome Glory went pretty much like he thought it would.

“We wanted her with her a target on her to chase her down,” Fisher said. “And she dug in, ran great. I think the race will improve him, he needed that. It’s good to have the two of them face off here.”

Brion was noncommittal to running The Mean Queen in the Grand National, noting there is a filly-and-mare stakes the same day. That decision will come later. There was a lot to digest on this day.

* Ritzy A.P. ($11), under Graham Watters, won the $75,000 William Entenmann by 7 1/4 lengths over Booby Trap. French Light was third.

Ritzy A.P. is a 7-year-old son of English Channel owned by Leslie Kopp and trained by Neil Morris. He covered 2 1/4 miles in 4:05.36.