Offering Plan repeats in Kingston

ELMONT, N.Y. – Owner Michael Dubb’s big day continued in Monday’s $125,000 Kingston Stakes after his defending winner Offering Plan rallied to a 1 3/4-length repeat victory in the one-mile turf stakes for New York-breds. The victory was the third of the day for Dubb, who won the Mt. Vernon with Feeling Bossy and Mike Lee with the recently claimed Analyze the Odds earlier on the holiday card.

Offering Plan, who is owned in partnership by Dubb along with Nantucket Thoroughbred Partners, Bethlehem Stables, and Gary Aisquith, was confidently handled in the Kingston by his regular rider Javier Castellano. Rated near the rear of the field for six furlongs, Offering Plan commenced his rally on the final turn, angled six wide into the stretch, gained control at midstretch and won going away.

Rapt, a 21-1 shot who was last after the opening half-mile, attempted to match strides with the 4-5 favorite through the final furlong, but proved no match while finishing second, three parts of a length in front of 9-year-old Kharafa.

Offering Plan, a 6-year-old son of Spring at Last trained by Chad Brown, paid $3.80. Final time over the firm course was 1:35.11. The win was the seventh in 19 starts for Offering Plan, who had captured an open allowance race over yielding turf at Keeneland in his 2018 debut eight weeks earlier.

“This is truly surreal,” Dubb said of his big day. “With a horse like this, I leave everything to Chad. I just show up and take pictures.”

Dubb’s two earlier stakes wins on the Memorial Day program came with trainer Jason Servis.

“He’s really a hard hitting horse,” said Dubb. “I bought him as a yearling with Sol [Kumin]. Occasionally, we get ambitious with this horse. Originally we had debated racing him at Pimlico two weeks ago, but Chad made the decision to stay at home where he’d be even money. And if we keep him with statebreds, he should be the boss.”

Dubb said the turf course, officially listed as “good,” may have played to Offering Plan’s advantage.

“He’s won on firm turf for us over the years, but I do believe he’s a little better with some cut in the ground, as was the case today.”