Repo Rocks handy Westchester winner after Ness changes up his training
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Repo Rocks easily passed his audition for the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap in five weeks by dominating Friday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Westchester Stakes by 5 1/4 lengths at Belmont Park.
Zandon, third in last year’s Kentucky Derby, finished second in his first start since running fourth in last December’s Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct. It was three-quarters of a length back to Weyburn. Unbridled Bomber finished fourth, followed by Dr Ardito, Expressman, and Bourbon Calling. White Abarrio was scratched.
The win was the fifth from six starts for Repo Rocks since being transferred to trainer Jamie Ness. Those wins include the Grade 3 Toboggan and Stymie at Aqueduct.
Most recently, Repo Rocks finished second in the Grade 1 Carter, a race in which he was trying to bear out around the turn.
Ness blamed himself for that result.
“I think last time maybe I pushed the horse a little too hard and ran a flat horse, I think that was a mistake,” Ness said. “I don’t have many opportunities to point for Grade 1s and I overtrained him.”
After the Carter, Ness sent Repo Rocks to Fair Hill for about a week and backed off his training. Ness brought him back to Parx, gave him one workout before the Westchester.
“Mentally, I think that helped him,” Ness said. “Totally different horse today.”
Friday, with new rider Ruben Silvera in the irons, Repo Rocks stalked pacesetting Expressman through a quarter in 22.99 seconds and a half-mile in 45.80 seconds.
Repo Rocks drew on even terms with Expressman at the five-sixteenths pole, took a clear lead by the quarter pole, and won handily despite drifting out.
Repo Rocks, a 5-year-old gelding by Tapiture owned by Double B Racing Stables, covered the mile in 1:34.96 and retuned $12.
“He needs to go a mile, mile and a sixteenth,” Ness said. “He wants to show natural speed and going seven furlongs he shows too much speed. He wants to get out and I thought those big, sweeping turns at Belmont would be more conducive to his running style.”
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Ness said he made a rider change from Andrew Wolfsont to Silvera because Silvera rides all of his horses at Parx and he wanted to go to someone with which he was more comfortable.
Ness confirmed he would point Repo Rocks to the Met Mile on June 10.
Chad Brown, trainer of Zandon, felt his horse gave a credible effort for his first start in six months.
“I thought he got a great trip, that horse didn’t come back,” Brown said. “Hopefully, he builds off it and moves forward to the Met Mile.”
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