Saginaw numbers stacked in Rodriguez's favor
ELMONT, N.Y. – With three of the five entrants in the field, it’s a pretty good bet that trainer Rudy Rodriguez will win Friday’s $100,000 Saginaw Stakes at Belmont Park. It’s just a matter of figuring out which horse will get him to the winner’s circle.
Royal Posse, Good Luck Gus, and Sioux will represent Rodriguez in the Saginaw, a 1 1/16-mile race for New York-breds originally scheduled for last Sunday. The race had only four entrants for Sunday and again for Monday before Rodriguez entered Sioux to help the race go.
Though Royal Posse and Good Luck Gus figure to take more money than Sioux, Rodriguez said it would be a mistake to discount Sioux if he breaks well.
“If they leave him alone on the lead, I think he’ll be very dangerous,” Rodriguez said. “Last time he didn’t break, Jose [Ortiz] kind of rushed him.”
Last time was in the $196,000 Commentator Stakes, where Sioux tired to fifth after chasing Weekend Hideaway, who went gate to wire in that one-mile race. Junior Alvarado will ride Sioux on Friday.
Royal Posse was the 4-5 favorite in the Commentator and had to settle for second. It was the 10th straight race in which Royal Posse finished first or second.
“Our horse ran his race. It’s just that the other horse probably ran one of the best races of his life,” said Rodriguez, referring to Weekend Hideaway.
Good Luck Gus, the 124-pound highweight in the Saginaw, rounds out Rodriguez’s trio. He makes his first start against New York-breds since winning the Haynesfield Stakes by a neck over Royal Posse in February over Aqueduct’s inner track. Good Luck Gus is winless in four tries at Belmont, though he has finished second three times.
Wake Up in Malibu and Pax in Terra, who finished second and third in an open-company allowance race on Belmont Stakes Day, complete the field.
Though Wake Up in Malibu looks like he could hinder Sioux on the lead, Rodriguez said, “I think Sioux looks like he has more speed. If he breaks good, I think he gets brave on the lead.”
◗ Friday’s card, which begins at 3:05 p.m. Eastern, kicks off with a stakes-caliber allowance race at 1 3/8 miles on turf. The big name in the field is Twilight Eclipse, a Grade 1-winning 7-year-old gelding.
This will be the first time Twilight Eclipse has competed in an allowance race since June 19, 2012, when he won a first-level allowance at Indiana Downs (now Indiana Grand) when trained by John Langemeier. It was off that race that he was purchased privately by West Point Thoroughbreds and turned over to Tom Albertrani.
Twilight Eclipse has completed in 30 consecutive stakes races. He is just 1 for his last 17, the win coming in last year’s Grade 1 Man o’ War at Belmont.
His uncoupled stablemate, Smooth Daddy, looks like the potential pacesetter.
Legendary has competed in 14 consecutive stakes since he last raced in allowance company. He won a second-level allowance at Belmont on July 4, 2014, and is 3 for 6 over the Belmont turf.
Golden Sabre, a Grade 3 winner, and I’ll Call complete the field.