Redistricting surges to United Nations triumph
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With a perfect trip under Flavien Prat, 5-year-old gelding Redistricting stalked the pace along the inside and skipped away to a 1 1/2-length victory in the Grade 2 United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
Trainer Chad Brown has now won the race six times since 2013.
“Good horses give you a good punch and that’s what he gave me when I got through,” Prat said. “I always felt like I was traveling well and had a lot of horse under me. After that it would be whoever got the best punch and he did today.”
In the $150,000 Monmouth last month, Prat felt that he had the best horse in the field and sent Redistricting straight to the front, earning a resounding gate-to-wire score. The win over the course prepared the gelding perfectly for the United Nations, in which he was clearly comfortable in the closing stages of the 1 3/8-mile turf race. The 6-5 favorite paid $4.60 to win.
Prat considered going to the early lead again on Saturday, but when 5-year-old horse Major Dude hustled forward to take a 1 1/2-length advantage into the first turn, Redistricting landed in a perfect position in third. The front-runner, trained by Todd Pletcher, completed the opening quarter-mile in 24.55.
Several challengers cut into Major Dude’s lead as they passed the wire for the first time and entered the second turn, but the pace did not quicken. John Velazquez nursed the 15-1 longshot along through a half-mile in 49.42 and loped along on the backstretch through a mile in 1:37.80.
The race was clearly boiling down to a sprint in the stretch, which left many of the closers at a disadvantage. Redistricting didn’t move from third around either of the first two turns, as Prat kept him tucked behind and only angled him out as they turned for home.
Velazquez and Major Dude tried to slip away at the top of the stretch, but Prat and Redistricting were already reeling-in the front-runner by the time he kicked way. Brown’s gelding easily picked up second and breezed by the leader in midstretch, cruising home to complete the 1 3/8-mile race in 2:13.75 (101 Beyer Speed Figure).
Pletcher may not have been able to match Brown in the United Nations, but he was well represented in second and third. Grand Sonata, a 6-year-old horse ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., tracked just behind Redistricting the entire way and rallied for second. He finished a half-length ahead of Major Dude, the stubborn front-runner who hung on by a neck for third.
Starting Over, an 8-year-old gelding trained by Brittany Russell, suffered an injury on the final turn and did not finish. It was later determined to be a right-hind fetlock injury. He was stabilized and transported off the track in an equine ambulance.
Wolf Hill Stakes
Coming off a statebred stakes victory at Penn National, 5-year-old gelding Fierce and Strong took yet another step up under jockey Tyler Conner to win his third straight race in the $100,000 Wolf Hill Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday. It was trainer Michael Salvaggio Jr.’s first stakes victory at Monmouth Park.
“He came motoring down the stretch and [Tyler Conner] was able to save enough ground, which is what you need to do on this course, and then he swung him out,” Salvaggio said. "I said, ‘Oh my gosh. We've got a heck of a shot’ and we did. I’ve won a race at Monmouth before but never a stakes race. This is great.”
The 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint was a scramble from gate to wire, as geldings Nothing Better and Fore Harp both went to the front early, exchanging short leads in a hard-fought duel on the backstretch. Fierce and Strong and Conner settled near the back of a compact field, keen to take advantage in the closing stages. Fractional times were not posted due to issues with the electronic timer.
By the time the field turned for home, all seven runners were within three lengths of one another as Nothing Better and Fore Harp carried their duel into the stretch. Fore Harp eventually gave in and faded to last, but Nothing Better and Irad Ortiz Jr. dug deeper as several closers threatened to engulf him in the final furlong.
Ortiz nearly managed to pull it off, as Nothing Better successfully repelled multiple challengers, but he had to settle for second when Fierce and Strong came calling. Still in fifth leaving the far turn, Conner sent him flying down the center in deep stretch and cruised home to a 1 3/4-length victory. He finished the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:02.37 (94 Beyer Speed Figure) and paid $26.20 to win.
“I think this horse is very underrated,” Conner said. “They didn’t give him any credit today. I know it was a tough race with good horses in there, but this horse runs 85 Beyers every race. He is very consistent. He always shows up.”
Nothing Better, a 7-year-old gelding trained by Jorge Duarte Jr., earned a gritty runner-up finish by a half-length over Eamonn, who closed from well back to pick up third for trainer Joe Orseno.
In his last three starts, Fierce and Strong has earned a deep-closing allowance victory in a sprint at Pimlico, a front-running 1 1/16-mile triumph in the $75,000 Lyphard at Penn National, and this victory in the Wolf Hill. Conner has been aboard for all three starts and believes the gelding is developing a speciality.
“When I rode him at Pimlico, it was the first time I rode him short,” Conner said. “Before that I had only ridden on him going long. But when I rode him short in that Pimlico race, I told (Salvaggio) after the race that I think he is better sprinting because I have so much horse when it is time to go.”
When asked about a potential next start for Fierce and Strong, Salvaggio said that he had a plan before the race and hesitantly intends to stick to it, even if other options may be more tempting now. There are several statebred races at Penn National next month that he is targeting, and the gelding has always appreciated starts at home.
- Additional reporting by Marcus Hersh
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