Shippers Favorite Tale, Ground Transport win Gold Fever, Drosselmeyer stakes

Favorites ran amok for the most part through the first week at Belmont, although that wasn’t the case in Sunday’s co-featured Gold Fever Stakes and Drosselmeyer Stakes, as shippers got the money in both $100,000 stakes.

In the Gold Fever for 3-year-olds, Favorite Tale, based at Parx Racing, out-battled Pure Sensation after a prolonged battle up front, while the Coolmore Stable entry of Havana and The Admiral, favored at odds of 1-4, checked in third and fourth in the field of five.

Rebounding from his first career defeat in the Bay Shore, Favorite Tale ran six furlongs in 1:10.25 beneath Jose Flores and beat Pure Sensation by a length. He earned $60,000 for his fourth win in five starts for Guadalupe Preciado.

“He might have run a little too close to the Bay Shore when he ran back on 12 days’ rest,” said Preciado. “We didn’t think he ran that hard the race before, but we made a mistake, and we’re learning. [The Gold Fever] was the race we were hoping to see from him the first time we ran in New York.”

Pure Sensation remained clear for second by 1 3/4 lengths over Havana, who scratched out of the March 1 Swale Stakes due to a quarter crack and was making his first start since a runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile for Todd Pletcher.

“He actually didn’t break as good as I thought he would, and he wound up chasing,” said John Velazquez. “He hasn’t run in a long time, and he ran as well as he could today with the break. He’s supposed to get tired anyway.”

The Admiral, trained by Bob Baffert, barely held fourth over Eye Luv Lulu, who trailed throughout.

With only four betting interests in the Gold Fever, there was no show wagering, but Havana and The Admiral attracted $255,806 of $275,921 in the place pool. As a result, Favorite Tale paid $8.50 to win as the second choice but $27.60 to place, while Pure Sensation paid $34.20 in the back-up slot.

Ground Transport goes wire to wire in Drosselmeyer

In the Drosselmeyer, the Kentucky-based Ground Transport made every pole a winning one, just as he had done six weeks ago in the H.E. Johnson Memorial at Laurel Park.

Sent off as the second choice in the field of six, Ground Transport ($6.10) rated along nicely on a clear lead through manageable fractions with John Velazquez and had enough in reserve to preserve the decision by a head over Ever Rider after 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.78.

“He’s pretty easy to ride,” said Velazquez. “[Trainer Michael Stidham] told me from the get-go, ‘You know, Johnny, just put your hands down. The less you fight him, the better it’s going to be for you.’ After a sixteenth of a mile, he inherited the lead, and I just did what he told me. I put my hands down and played with him a little bit, and he did it by himself.”

Micromanage, the 4-5 favorite, could make no appreciable headway through the stretch and settled for third, 1 1/4 lengths farther back.
Jonesy Boy, Mr Palmer, and and Quaesitor completed the order of finish.