Ninetyprcentmaddie gets up over Just Beat the Odds in Carle Place

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - In a race where all four horses had the lead at some point, Ninetyprcentmaddie hit the front when it mattered most, getting up in deep stretch to win the $116,250 Carle Place Stakes by a neck over Just Beat the Odds at Aqueduct on Sunday.

It was 1 1/4 lengths back to Super Chow, the 4-5 favorite, in third. Sir Lancelot, who set the pace, was basically eased.

The Carle Place, originally scheduled for the turf, was transferred to the dirt - the eighth turf stakes forced to the dirt at this meet - due to Saturday’s rain. Conditions were dry Sunday and the Carle Place, restricted to 3-year-olds, was run over a fast track.

Ninetyprcentmaddie broke on top under Irad Ortiz Jr., but dropped back to fourth as Sir Lancelot went to the lead under Jose Ortiz, stalked by Super Chow, ridden by Madison Olver.

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Just Beat the Odds, under Manny Franco, was a stalking third and moved toward the leaders at the top of the lane. Just Beat the Odds had to work to get by Super Chow at the sixteenth pole and when he did Ninetyprcentmaddie was coming with a sustained rally to get up in the final strides.

Ninetyprcentmadde, a gelding by Weigelia owned by LC Racing and trained by Butch Reid, covered the six furlongs in 1:10.18 and returned $5.70.

“Before the quarter pole I already started riding and he started picking it up without me hitting him so I thought I had a good chance,” Ortiz said.

Reid said he was happy that NYRA made the decision to take the Carle Place off the turf on Saturday, saying that he might not have shipped the horse up from Parx Racing if he didn’t know until Sunday morning “given how early we have to ship.”

Reid was also happy that Ninetyprcentmaddie had the outside post.

“He feels much more comfortable when he’s a little bit free-wheeling,” Reid said. “Sometimes, he has trouble switching leads. Irad did a great job, got him to switch right over, and he finished well because of it.”

The win was one of three on the card for Ortiz, who was heading to the airport after the races to fly to California, where on Monday he was scheduled to work White Abarrio at Santa Anita in preparation for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

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