Ny Traffic shows unexpected speed in easy Affirmed Success victory
Ny Traffic continued his dominance over New York-breds with a front-running, 3 3/4-length victory in Friday’s $97,000 Affirmed Success Stakes at Belmont Park.
Hustled to the front from his rail draw by jockey Jose Ortiz, Ny Traffic dueled with Lobsta through a half-mile in 45.50 seconds, then left that one in his wake in the stretch to come home a relatively easy winner while covering six furlongs in a sharp 1:09.54. Ny Traffic returned $2.90 as the 2-5 favorite in a field of five.
Lobsta finished second, 6 3/4 lengths clear of Reggae Music Man. Second choice Bank On Shea, last year’s Affirmed Success winner, was a non-factor in fourth. Hold the Salsa finished last of five.
The victory was the fifth from 18 starts for Ny Traffic, a son of Cross Traffic owned by John Fanelli, Cash is King Racing, LC Racing, and Paul Braverman and trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. Ny Traffic’s last three wins have come against statebreds at Belmont, including an allowance win last May and the Hudson Handicap last October on New York Showcase Day.
Ny Traffic has been tried in multiple graded stakes, including the 2020 Kentucky Derby and Preakness where he finished eighth and ninth, respectively. That year, he was beaten a nose by Authentic in the $1 million Haskell at Monmouth Park.
The plan for now, though, is to keep Ny Traffic with New York-breds, according to Joseph. The Affirmed Success is being used as a stepping-stone to the $200,000 Commentator, a one-turn mile here on May 30.
That Ny Traffic won the Affirmed Success didn’t surprise Joseph. That he did it while on the lead from beginning to end did.
“I didn’t think he had that kind of speed,” Joseph said from Florida. “I just told Jose that he doesn’t always take dirt the best so if he doesn’t break try to get him in the clear. He warmed him up pretty strong. It was his decision to go to the lead.”
Ortiz said he thought Reggae Music Man or Bank On Shea might be the one to press him and was glad neither one was there early.
“When I saw Lobsta there, I was happy because I knew he wasn’t as fast as me and couldn’t put a lot of pressure on me going to the three-eighths pole,” Ortiz told the NYRA publicity department. “The other horses I thought could push me a little more and maybe cost me something at the end.”