Prince Lucky proves best in State Dinner Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – This may not have been the race the connections of Prince Lucky were hoping to win at the Belmont spring/summer meet, but they were certainly happy to see the gelding back in the winner’s circle nonetheless after two disappointing results earlier in the season.

After dueling for the early lead with Sunny Ridge, Prince Lucky put that rival away turning for home and held Candygram at bay through the stretch to win Sunday’s $100,000 State Dinner Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths on closing day of the meet.

Candygram, the even-money favorite off two open-lengths allowance victories, finished second by 3 3/4 lengths over Backyard Heaven. Sunny Ridge and Multiplier completed the order of finish. Just Whistle scratched.

The win was the third stakes victory this year for Prince Lucky, who had won the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope and Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile in the winter and spring in South Florida.

But at Belmont, Prince Lucky finished last in the Grade 3 Westchester, run over a sloppy track, and last in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, which may have had the deepest field of any older-male dirt stakes race run in the country this year.

Trainer Todd Pletcher put Prince Lucky in the State Dinner seeking class relief. On paper, though, the race came up tough, with millionaire Sunny Ridge, graded stakes winner Backyard Heaven, and the in-form Candygram in the field.

Prince Lucky broke alertly from post 2 under John Velazquez and sparred on the lead with Sunny Ridge – last year’s State Dinner winner – through a quarter in 22.97 seconds, a half-mile in 45.75, and six furlongs in 1:09.54. Candygram was sitting just off that duo.

Turning for home, Prince Lucky pulled away from Sunny Ridge, but a three-wide Candygram moved into second. However, Prince Lucky stayed strong on the lead, and Candygram faded late.

Prince Lucky, by Corinthian, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.23 and returned $13.

Though the early fractions were legitimate, Velazquez said he wasn’t going to try to rate Prince Lucky like in the Met Mile.

“Last time, they were going quick, and I was trying to rate him behind horses on the outside, and the more I took a hold of him, the more he got out,” Velazquez said. “Today, I just put my hands down and let him do whatever he was happy with, and he ran much better that way.”

Byron Hughes, the Belmont-based assistant to Pletcher, said he’s not sure what might be next for Prince Lucky, who has won 7 of 13 starts.

“We don’t have another race picked out for him, but it was nice to see him back in the winner’s circle,” Hughes said.