Si Que Es Buena rides rail to victory in Long Island Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – In a race whose result was decided strictly by trip, Si Que Es Buena, riding the rail all the way under Joel Rosario, won the Grade 3, $400,000 Long Island Stakes at Aqueduct by a neck over My Sister Nat, who had to go 10-wide in the stretch under Jose Ortiz.

Very little separated this group as it was only five lengths from first to last in the 12-horse field.

Though she never left inside in this year’s Long Island, Si Que Es Buena came full circle as she finished fourth, beaten just one length in this race a year ago at odds of 60-1. Saturday, she was the 6-5 favorite.

In last year’s Long Island, Si Que Es Buena rallied six wide in the stretch. Saturday, she broke from the rail and didn’t leave it until she struck the front in midstretch and came out one path.

Si Que Es Buena was second to last early before being passed by My Sister Nat entering the far turn. My Sister Nat got stuck behind horses in the stretch before tipping widest of all. Meanwhile, Si Que Es Buena rallied along the rail after pacesetting Decorating, under Jose Lezcano, came off the fence in upper stretch.

“When I was on the backside, I knew I was far away but I just tried to cut the corner on the last part and hopefully she would put a run in at the end,” Rosario said. “She got to the turn nice. I asked her to go, she was coming and coming – she really put in a good run.”

Si Que Es Buena, a 6-year-old Argentine-bred daughter of Equal Stripes owned by Takaya Shimakawa and trained by Graham Motion, covered the 1 3/8-miles over good ground in 2:19.68 and returned $4.60 to win.

“I was just thinking how rough the ground was down on the inside, is she going to be able to go on that ground?” Adrian Rolls, assistant to Motion, said after watching the head-on replay. “As soon as it opened he said she just flew. The only instructions I gave him were to save ground and put her where she’s comfortable.”

Ortiz said he was following Rosario the whole way but then wanted to get the jump on him and thought he could find a seam somewhere between horses.

“I was trying to wait for a seam that I could never get,” Ortiz said. “I thought Empressof the Nile was going to move on and give me some space but she didn’t. Then I had to wait a little bit to get outside, I did, she took off really nice, but I thought [Si Que Es Buena] got a really good trip on the rail and found a seam, which was the difference.”

My Sister Nat was second by a neck over Decorating. Pivotal Connection was fourth followed by Empressof the Nile, Mercilla, Lift Up, Wegetsdamunnys, Romantic Pursuit, Homeland Security, Entropia, and More Fun Again. Beau Belle scratched.