North Slope rallies to win by a neck in Bowl Game Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – Late in his 4-year-old year, North Slope maybe has figured things out.

After winning just two of his first 16 starts, North Slope now has won two straight, including Sunday’s $100,000 Bowl Game Stakes by a neck over the favored Slumber. It was a neck back to the pace-setting Micromanage in third.

Grand Rapport, St. Albans Boy, and Sky Blazer completed the order of finish.

Alakazan Alakazan was scratched in the paddock due to wearing the wrong shoes.

His scratch impacted the race in that it took the expected pacesetter out of the field.

Micromanage, trying the turf for the first time, set a pedestrian pace being chased by North Slope through a half-mile of 52.42 seconds and a mile in 1:42.01.

North Slope, under Irad Ortiz Jr. persevered through the stretch and got past Micromanage in the final sixteenth while holding off a late run from the 3-2 favorite Slumber.

North Slope, a gelding by Elusive Quality owned by Darley Stable and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, covered the distance of about 1 1/4 miles in 2:05.81 over a good inner turf course and returned $14.40. The distance was labeled an “about” distance because the rails were out 35 feet, making it difficult to get an accurate timing for 1 1/4 miles.

North Slope’s victory assured there would be a pick six carryover of $27,597 into Wednesday’s card at Belmont.

Wednesday kicks off the final week of racing before this circuit moves to Aqueduct beginning Oct. 29.