Riposte takes her second straight Grade 2

Long-distance racing is perhaps a foreign concept in the United States nowadays, so it shouldn’t (and didn’t) surprise anyone that the three foreign-breds in Saturday’s $200,000 New York Stakes swept the top three positions, as Riposte got the jump on 3-2 second choice Tannery and held that rival safe to give Juddmonte Farms and Bill Mott their second consecutive win in the Grade 2 race for fillies and mares.

In a battle between the last two Sheepshead Bay winners, Riposte ($4.60) rallied three wide to wrest the lead from pacesetter Viva Rafaela in the stretch, kicked clear under Joel Rosario and kept 3-2 second choice Tannery at bay to win by one and one-quarter lengths.

“She’s a little filly, but it looks like she can do a lot of things,” said Rosario.

Riposte, bred in England, ran the mile and one-quarter in 1:59.71 seconds over a firm inner turf course, and made it back-to-back scores in the New York for Juddmonte and Mott, who won it with Starformer last year.

“I think the longer distances have probably helped her,” said Mott. “She rated very nicely and kicked in very well. We have nothing planned for her right now. It’s too close to run her back in the Diana, so she won’t do that.”

Tannery, bred in Ireland, rallied to finish clearly second best, with Brazilian-bred pacesetter Viva Rafaela staying on for third and rounding a foreign-bred trifecta.

Scampering, Gathering and Inimitable Romanee, completed the order of finish.

Cabo Cat rallies in Manila

One race earlier, Cabo Cat ($18.40) rallied from last to win the $100,000 Manila Stakes for 3-year-olds on the Widener turf.

Cabo Cat, trained by Mark Hennig, was positioned well off a blistering pace set by So Lonesome, and proved best beneath Joe Bravo to report home by one length after a mile in 1:33.57 seconds.

Long On Value overtook So Lonesome for the runner-up spot.

A hard-to-handle Green Mask finished fourth as the even-money choice, followed by Bashart, Canzoni, and Glacken Too.