Ratajkowski hangs on by a head in Empire Distaff Handicap

ELMONT, N.Y. - Ratajkowski began the year as an unraced 5-year-old maiden. She will complete it as a New York-bred stakes winner after outlasting longshot Our Super Nova by a head in Saturday’s $250,000 Empire Distaff Handicap at Belmont Park.

The win was the fourth from six starts this year for Ratajkowski. She debuted at Belmont in May and has competed exclusively in races restricted to New York-breds.

“Kudos to [owner] Gary Broad for being so patient with her in waiting until she was 5 to make her debut,” Erin Lynch, assistant to her husband Brian, said. “She has paid him back full on.”

Ratajkowski was able to hold off Our Super Nova despite being part of a very quick early pace. Jockey Jose Ortiz had Ratajkowski in second, but three paths away from the pacesetting Out of Orbit, who ran an opening quarter in 22.79 seconds and a half-mile in 45.71.

As the field made its way toward the far turn, Ortiz engaged Out of Orbit. At the quarter pole, Out of Orbit retreated but Newly Minted - the 6-5 favorite - loomed a menacing presence to Ratajkowski.

Ratajkowski was able to put Newly Minted away and had a 2 1/2-length lead in mid-stretch. But the pace began to take its toll on her and Our Super Nova was making a bold challenge along the rail under Junior Alvarado. Ratajkowski found the courage to hold off Our Super Nova to get the victory.

“I know we were going fast enough so I didn’t want to drop in very quick and let somebody put pressure outside of me,” said Ortiz, who won his fourth race on the card and third stakes. “I just tried to bide my time around the turn and it paid off in the end.”

Ortiz said he felt his filly getting tired, but he said she could feel somebody coming.

“The last couple of jumps she felt that horse and responded,” Ortiz said. “A couple of more jumps, I could have got caught.”

Ratajkowski, a 5-year-old daughter of Drosselmeyer, covered the mile in 1:35.45 and returned $5.60 as the second choice. Our Super Nova finished 4 3/4 lengths clear of Held Accountable, who nosed out Newly Minted for third.

Newly Minted stumbled about a sixteenth of a mile past the wire. After a few minutes she got on her feet and was eventually vanned off.

Trainer Linda Rice said Newly Minted just got tired. Other than taking some skin off both of her knees, Rice said Newly Minted was fine. Jockey Jose Lezcano was also uninjured.

Sleepy Hollow: Englehart runs one-two

Trainer Jeremiah Englehart completed a sweep of the juvenile stakes on the Empire Showcase Day card by running one-two in the $250,000 Sleepy Hollow Stakes for males as Captain Bombastic beat Cleon Jones by a head.

Earlier in the day, Englehart won the $250,000 Maid of the Mist for fillies with Critical Value.

The victory by Captain Bombastic was the third of the day for a horse bred and/or owned by Chester and Mary Broman, longtime leading breeders in New York. The Bromans won the Empire Classic and Iroquois Stakes with homebreds Mr. Buff and Pauseforthecause, respectively.

Under Jose Ortiz, Captain Bombastic stalked pacesetting Three Jokers through a quarter of 23.31 and a half-mile in 46.26. She saddled up alongside Three Jokers at the quarter pole, took a clear lead in upper stretch, and was able to hold stablemate Cleon Jones at bay. Harris Bay finished third followed by City Man, Three Jokers, and Mission Wrapitup.

Ortiz said Captain Bombastic was a little closer to the pace than he thought he would be and he had to make an early move with City Man and Cleon Jones on the outside.

“I had to keep pedaling away to keep my position and that’s what I tried to do,” Ortiz said. “He responded great and gave me a great turn of foot turning for home but the last sixteenth of a mile he gutted it out.”

Captain Bombastic, a son of Forty Tales and a half-brother to graded stakes winner Highway Star, covered the mile in 1:36.64 and returned $15.

Fifty Five three-peats in Ticonderoga

Fifty Five had to really work for this one, but she was able to record a three-peat in the $200,000 Ticonderoga Stakes, running down Wish Upon to win by a length.

The victory, the 11th from 22 career starts, propelled Fifty Five past the $1 million mark in career earnings at $1,033,288.

Typically, Fifty Five likes to close into a fast pace. Saturday, the pace of the Ticonderoga was tepid with Wish Upon loose on the lead through splits of 24.19 for the quarter, 48.20 for the half-mile and six furlongs in 1:11.73.

Jockey Javier Castellano had Fifty Five four wide while in third position down the backside. Around the turn, Fifty Five moved into second but still had to catch Wish Upon who was still running on the lead.

Inside the sixteenth pole, Fifty Five did reel in Wish Upon to get her fifth consecutive New York-bred stakes win.

“He had to take her out of her game a little bit, but she’s supposed to be versatile enough at 1-5 to stay closer to the pace than she’s accustomed and still get the job done,” said Chad Brown, who trains Fifty Five for Peter Brant. “It was a really good race. The runner-up ran particularly well. I think it was a fast race.”

Fifty Five covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.76 and returned $2.70.

Wish Upon finished second by three-quarters of a length over War Canoe. She was followed by Munchkin Money, Kid Is Frosty, and Broken Border.

Dream Passage, English Soul, and Wegetsdamunnys were scratched.