More Than Looks turns it on in the stretch to win Manila going away

ELMONT, N.Y. - More Than Looks demonstrated he’s more than just a pretty face, overcoming a slow start to run by stakes winners Talk of the Nation and Nagirroc to upset the Grade 3, $250,000 Manila Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths Friday at Belmont Park.

Talk of the Nation and Nagirroc dueled through fast fractions from the outset, and they lasted to the wire with Talk of the Nation holding second by a neck over Nagirroc.

It was 6 3/4 lengths back to Major Dude in fourth. He was followed by Dreaming of Kona, Belouni, and Armstrong. Activist Investing was scratched.

The win was the third in five starts but first in a stakes for More Than Looks, a son of More Than Ready owned by Victory Racing Partners and trained by Cherie DeVaux.

DeVaux said More Than looks had always shown talent but was a bit behind mentally. He displayed some anxiousness in the starting gate Friday which prompted him to break last.

John Velazquez, riding More Than Looks for the first time, said DeVaux told him the horse can be difficult in the gate so “you might want to keep him as quiet as you can,” Velazquez said.

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When More Than Looks got a little anxious in the gate, Velazquez said he tried to tell the handler in the starting gate not to touch the horse, but he did anyway and the horse continued to act up.

“He touched him and right away he went to fight with him,” Velazquez said.

More Than Looks broke last of seven, but Talk of the Nation, under Jose Ortiz, and Nagirroc, under Flavien Prat, were within a half-length of each other through a quarter in 22.64 seconds and a half-mile in 45.53 over a firm Widener turf course.

Velazquez had More Than Looks about five lengths off the pace while racing in the two path. Velazquez said DeVaux told him to get the horse to the outside by the quarter pole, but it wasn’t until above the eighth pole that he was able to do it.

“I pull him out, he got to the clear, he started clocking those horses and came running,” Velazquez said.

More Than Looks covered the mile in 1:33.19 and returned $16.40 to win.

“It’s how he runs,” DeVaux said by phone. “He doesn’t break that sharp, but he settled well for Johnny and he came with that long, sustained run. He’s always acted like he had a lot of talent, the question was his maturity mentally.”

DeVaux said the Grade 2, $500,000 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame on Aug. 4 at Saratoga could be next for More Than Looks.

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