Rosario, Following Sea tune up for BC Sprint with Vosburgh victory
ELMONT, N.Y. - In Jackie’s Warrior, Joel Rosario already rides the favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 6 at Del Mar. In a span of 24 hours, Rosario got an up-close-and-personal look at two of his would-be challengers.
On Friday, Rosario guided Special Reserve to victory in the Grade 2 Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland. On Saturday, Rosario was back at Belmont Park, where he rode Following Sea to a 4 3/4-length victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 Vosburgh Stakes.
In the Vosburgh, Following Sea made the front with no trouble, was a length clear through fractions of 22.59 seconds for the quarter and 45.24 for the half, and he ran away from the competition in the stretch to cover six furlongs in 1:09.20, good for a 100 Beyer Speed Figure.
Firenze Fire, the even-money favorite under Irad Ortiz Jr., finished second by 2 1/2 lengths over Baby Yoda. Good Effort finished last of four. Jalen Journey was scratched, owing to a foot bruise, according to trainer Steve Asmussen.
The Vosburgh is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Todd Pletcher, who trains Following Sea for Spendthrift Farm, said the Sprint “has got to be in play,” but he needed to talk to Spendthrift Farm management before committing. Interestingly, Jackie’s Warrior, who will be seeking to wrap up a championship in the Breeders’ Cup, is slated to stand stud at Spendthrift Farm when his racing career is complete.
The victory for Following Sea was his first in a stakes and gave the well-publicized stallion Runhappy his first graded stakes winner.
Pletcher said going to the lead was not necessarily the game plan for Following Sea. Breaking from the outside in the four-horse field gave Rosario options to see how the race played out inside of him.
Firenze Fire broke through the starting gate pre-race. He was reloaded and shortly after the official start, he was guided in a path or two, which forced Luis Saez to steady slightly on Baby Yoda and Good Effort to check back to last.
That allowed Following Sea to have the lead and the race was basically over.
“It took all the strategy out of play in the first 50 yards,” Pletcher said. “He broke great, put himself right in the front, and seemed like he was in hand throughout.”
Following Sea returned $7 as the third choice in the field of four.
“Todd just told me to ride it the way it came up. He broke sharp and I asked him a little bit to get position,” Rosario said. “If somebody went, I would have sat, but I decided to go to the lead.”
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Ortiz said when Rosario went to the lead he decided to sit second on Firenze Fire and just run his race. Ortiz didn’t think breaking through the gate pre-race made much of a difference.
“I don’t like when that happens, but I don’t think it took too much out of him,” Ortiz said. “Second-best today.”
Kelly Breen, the trainer of Firenze Fire, said his first inclination is to continue on to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with the 6-year-old, who finished third in that race last year. This would be the fifth straight year that Firenze Fire would run in a Breeders’ Cup race.
“Any time a horse breaks through the gate there’s got to be 500 pounds of pressure to break open the front of the starting gate,” Breen said. “We gave [the winner] six pounds. I think we move forward and go on to the Breeders’ Cup.”