Solitude Dude surges past Time to Roll in Bay Shore Stakes
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. - It might not have been as easy as the toteboard suggested, but Solitude Dude, the 1-9 favorite, took Saturday’s $139,500 Bay Shore Stakes for 3-year-olds by two lengths at Aqueduct.
Having to concede the early lead to Time to Roll and briefly steadying behind that one a furlong or so into the race, Solitude Dude, under Javier Castellano, went by Time to Roll above the eighth pole and gradually drew clear to improve to 4 for 5 overall, 4 for 4 in one-turn races. The Bay Shore was the third stakes victory for Solitude Dude, who last December won the Inaugural Stakes at Tampa and in January took the Swale at Gulfstream.
Time to Roll finished second by 4 1/2 lengths over Fulmine. Racetrack Romance finished last. Igniter, the 5-2 morning-line on the second choice, scratched after getting sick earlier in the week.
Solitude Dude was cutting back to one turn after finishing third behind Commandment in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on Feb. 28. On Saturday, breaking from the rail, Solitude Dude was away a half-step slow and that allowed a newly blinkered Time to Roll under Jaime Rodriguez to get to the lead from his outside draw.
Time to Roll came over in front of Solitude Dude, forcing Castellano to take a brief hold. Castellano guided Solitude Dude to the outside and was in chase mode before taking over in midstretch.
“I rode him like a good horse, I let him break out of there, if he can get to the lead in a good way, the nice way, I’d take it, if not I try to go to Plan B, let him sit behind the horses.” Castellano said. “When I asked him, he took off, when he got to the lead, he waited for the competition.”
Solitude Dude, a son of Yaupon owned by Chris Fountoukis and trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., covered the seven furlongs in 1:23 and returned $2.32.
It was the second straight day that Castellano won a stakes race at Aqueduct. On Friday, he captured the Plenty of Grace Stakes on And One More Time.
Friday night, Castellano flew to Florida, where on Saturday morning he worked his Kentucky Derby contender The Puma five furlongs in 1:00.77 at Gulfstream Park.
“He did it the right way today,” Castellano said. “I believe that’s the first time I’ve asked him for a little more to do. This is the time you have to do it.”
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