Quezon ends win drought in Garland of Roses

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Quezon had run well enough to win a race this year, she just hadn’t done so.

Until Saturday, that is, when, under Joe Rocco, Quezon was able to work her way to the outside in the stretch and run down Picco Uno to win the $100,000 Garland of Roses Stakes by three-quarters of a length at snowy Aqueduct. Picco Uno, who in August had beaten Quezon in the Union Avenue at Saratoga, finished second by 2 1/2 lengths over Absatootly, who was surprisingly dueling for the early lead. Kalabaka finished fourth.

Fusaichi Red was pulled up in deep stretch and was euthanized ontrack due to a fractured right hind pastern. Ms Locust Point, who won Saturday’s Willa On the Move Stakes at Laurel, and Friend of Liberty scratched.

For Quezon, it was her sixth win from 17 starts and her first victory since taking the Iroquois Stakes for New York-breds at Belmont in October 2016. She was winless in six starts this year but had three seconds and two thirds.

“The first couple of races, it took a while to get her game face on, and the last couple of races, you can’t fault her,” trainer Robert Ribaudo said. “She probably shouldn’t have gotten beat the last time, and the Gallant Bloom was a great race against nice fillies.”

In her last start, the Iroquois Stakes at Belmont, Quezon was run down by Absatootly, who came from last in a field of five to get the victory.

On Saturday, surprisingly, Absatootly, under Joe Bravo, was dueling with Picco Uno for the lead through a quarter in 23.35 seconds and a half-mile in 47.26. Quezon, who broke from the rail, was stuck on the inside and was last approaching the quarter pole, but only two lengths off the pace.

“When they went together, I was glad about that, but then we were stuck down in there, and I said, ‘Are we going to have to stay in there?’ ” Ribaudo said.

In upper stretch, Rocco was able to gradually guide Quezon off the rail and in the clear. Picco Uno had put away Absatootly, but Quezon kept coming and wore down Picco Uno.

Quezon, a 5-year-old daughter of Tiz Wonderful owned by Marc Keller, covered the six furlongs over a main track labeled “good” in 1:11.75 and returned $4.90 to win.

Rocco, like Ribaudo, was surprised to see Absatootly in front of him early, but he was happy nonetheless.

“The two horses to beat were in front of me, so I followed them until we turned for home,” said Rocco, who has moved his tack to New York for the winter. “I was able to find a seam to get out. She switched leads, and she really came home strong today.”

Charlton Baker, the trainer of Absatootly, said it wasn’t the plan for his filly to be on the lead, but she broke so sharply that Bravo would have had to wrestle with her to get her off the pace.

“It didn’t work out as planned,” Baker said.

The top three finishers are all New York-breds and could square off again in the $100,000 La Verdad Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares at Aqueduct on Jan. 6.