Micromanage wears 'em down in Jazil

Despite racing at a distance shorter than his best, Micromanage wore down leader Irsaal in deep stretch and held off a closing Turco Bravo to win the $100,000 Jazil at Aqueduct on Monday.

Manuel Franco allowed the favored Micromanage to drift back to last in the field of six in the mile and 70-yard Jazil, run over a muddy and sealed track. Schivarelli, under Jose Ortiz, grabbed a clear lead entering the first turn and took the field through fractions of 23.54 for the first quarter and 46.95 for a half. Misconnect, coupled with Micromanage as a Repole Stable runner, pressured Schivarelli down the backstretch and went past him on the far turn, accompanied to his outside by Irsaal. Micromanage came between horses and began to make up ground as Irsaal and Misconnect turned for home.

Irsaal kicked clear in midstretch and for a moment looked as if he were gone, but Micromanage reeled him in, with 18-1 longshot Turco Bravo nipping him near the wire for second. Micromanage won by three-quarters of a length, with Turco Bravo finishing a half-length ahead of Irsaal. Misconnect finished fourth, followed by Schivarelli and Abraham, who was eased.

Micromanage covered the mile and 70 yards in 1:41.01 and returned $3.30 to win. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Micromanage won his second consecutive stakes, having taken the Queens County at Aqueduct in December. A 5-year-old by Medaglia d’Oro, Micromanage has now won 7 of 24 starts and earned more than $760,000. Last year, Micromanage won the 1 3/4-mile Birdstone at Saratoga, the 1 3/16-mile Skip Away at Gulfstream, and finished second in the 1 1/2-mile Brooklyn at Belmont Park.