Odds-on Fort Bragg all out to beat Saudi Crown in Dwyer

ELMONT, N.Y. - As he gradually advanced Fort Bragg toward the pacesetting Saudi Crown turning for home in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park, jockey John Velazquez thought he was headed toward an easy victory.

Fort Bragg did indeed get the win, but it hardly came easy.

Saudi Crown, making his stakes debut after two straight wins to begin his career, fought back bravely along the rail under Javier Castellano, but in the end, Fort Bragg got his nose on the wire first in the one-mile stakes for 3-year-olds.

It was 11 lengths back to Harrodsburg in third. Joey Freshwater, Alternate Reality, and Prove Right completed the order of finish.

The win was the first in a stakes for Fort Bragg, who was making his fifth consecutive start in a graded event. He was coming out of a hard-fought neck defeat to General Jim in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs. In that race, Fort Bragg might have made the lead sooner than his connections had hoped.

Velazquez, who was riding Fort Bragg for the first time said he was a little cautious making the lead too soon, but felt his horse was moving easy enough when he got to Saudi Crown at the head of the lane.

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“By the quarter pole I thought I had him pretty easy,” Velazquez said. “I put a half a length in front of him and the other horse kept fighting. Mine might have hung a little bit, but the other horse kept running. I said, ‘Man, don’t let him come back on you, now pay attention.’ “

Bob Baffert, who was given the horse back from the ownership group after the horse made three starts for Tim Yakteen, believed a better break led to victory Saturday for Fort Bragg.

“In the Pat Day Mile he missed the break,” Baffert said. “He ran huge. They were smoking. I knew they’d be smoking early. The horse that ran second is a good horse.”

Saudi Crown, breaking from post 2, broke alertly and ran a quarter in 22.47 seconds and a half-mile in 44.63 with Harrodsburg sitting second before Fort Bragg went from third to second entering the far turn.

Castellano said his horse broke so sharp from the inside post that he had little choice but to go to the lead. Though the fractions were quick, Castellano said Saudi Crown was doing it easy.

“When he switched leads at the right time, right place he rebroke again,” Castellano said. “The other horse ran too many times, he’s got the experience, he’s run with some of the best horses in the country.”

Fort Bragg, a son of Tapit owned by a group that includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, and Stonestreet Stables, covered the mile in 1:35.37 and returned $3.40 as the favorite.

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Fort Bragg had shipped to New York for the Grade 1 Woody Stephens but was forced to miss the race due to an illness.

Baffert said he would give it a few days before deciding whether to ship the horse back to California or leave him in New York, though he did say the horse’s next start would likely come in New York. The Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga on Aug. 26 could be one option.

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