Scuttlebuzz ($33) surprises in Elusive Quality Stakes

Just over a year after claiming him for $30,000, owner Thomas La Marca and trainer Rudy Rodriguez have themselves a streaking stakes winner in the barn as Scuttlebuzz rallied from midpack under Javier Castellano to register a 15-1 upset in Saturday’s $100,000 Elusive Quality Stakes at Belmont Park.

Scuttlebuzz held off a late run from Therapist - the 2019 Elusive Quality winner - to win by a length as New York-bred runners finished 1-2 in this open company turf stakes.

The victory was the fifth from nine starts since the claim and seventh from 17 overall for Scuttlebuzz. That $30,000 investment has yielded a gross return of $271,070 in purse money won.

Scuttlebuzz has won four of five starts since Rodriguez equipped the gelded son of The Factor with blinkers, more specifically an extension blinker over his right eye.

“He always tried to drift in the morning just a little bit,” Rodriguez told NYRA analyst Maggie Wolfendale in a post-race interview. “When I put the blinkers on in the morning, he’s just nice and comfortable and he’s running good, so why change it?”

:: For the first time ever, our premium past performances are free! Get free Formulator now!

Scuttlebuzz won two open allowance races at Aqueduct in a two-week span late last fall before turf season ended and he was given a break. Rodriguez credited Thomas Fackler's team at Best A Luck Farm in Ocala, Fla., with getting Scuttlebuzz prepared before sending him to Belmont four weeks ago. Still, Rodriguez thought the Elusive Quality was going to help put the finishing touches on getting Scuttlebuzz fit.

“They got a very good team down there,” Rodriguez said in a phone interview after the race. “Me and [La Marca] talked about it and we didn’t see any race for him. This was a good race to start him, to give him a race. We thought he was 80 percent ready to run. I guess we got to send him to the farm and bring him back.”

In the Elusive Quality, Scuttlebuzz did benefit from a hotly contested pace as Proven Strategies, Value Proposition and Milton the Monster were in close quarters through a quarter in 22.67 seconds and a half-mile in 45.73. Scuttlebuzz was fifth, about 8 1/2 lengths off the pace at that point.

Turning for home, Castellano swung Scuttlebuzz five wide and he inhaled the leaders while having enough to hold the late-running Therapist at bay.

Scuttlebuzz covered the seven furlongs in 1:21.45 and returned $33 to win.

“I don’t know what to say about that performance,” Rodriguez said. “I’m in a little shock right now.”

For La Marca, Scuttlebuzz is reminiscent of Compliance Officer, a horse he and trainer Bruce Brown claimed 11 years ago for $25,000 and who won three New York-bred stakes before finishing last in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Rodriguez said he didn’t know what would be next for Scuttlebuzz, but did not rule out the Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur here on the June 11 Belmont Stakes program.

Therapist, who was eighth early in the Elusive Quality, rallied to finish second by a half-length over American Monarch. Proven Strategies was fourth followed by Value Proposition, the 6-5 favorite, Milton the Monster, Big Package, Majestic Dunhill, Penalty and Snapper Sinclair. Toro Strike scratched.

The victory by Scuttlebuzz helped create a pick-6 carryover of $81,453 into Sunday’s card at Belmont. First post is 1 p.m. and the pick-6 begins in race 4.