Step Dancer bounces back with victory in Awad Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. - It’s not with Sackatoga Stable nor is it with a dirt horse, but trainer Barclay Tagg has another New York-bred in the barn who is an open-company stakes winner.

Step Dancer, rebounding from a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Pilgrim Stakes four weeks ago, rallied along the rail in the stretch under Dylan Davis to win the $80,000 Awad Stakes by three-quarters of a length at Belmont Park on Saturday.

Like a Saltshaker, who Step Dancer followed through the inside in upper stretch, finished second, 3 1/4 lengths in front of Space Launch. Wootton Asset was fourth, followed, in order, by It Can Be Done, Shawdyshawdyshawdy, It’s a Gamble, Catman, Kidnapped, Claw, and Heat of the Night.

Step Dancer is a New York-bred son of War Dancer owned by Hayward and Donna Pressman and Diamond M Stable. He was saddled Saturday by assistant trainer Robin Smullen, who later this week will join Tagg in Kentucky, where he is preparing Tiz the Law for next Saturday’s $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland.

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Step Dancer might have been considered for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf had things gone better in the Pilgrim Stakes here Oct. 3. But unlike his debut, in which Step Dancer rallied from 11 lengths back to win at odds of 24-1, Step Dancer sat second early in the Pilgrim and didn’t fire, finishing third.

“Last time we let him stay a little too close because it was the inner turf and we thought we had to, but we decided that’s not his running style, so we changed it back around,” Smullen said “He finished great today.”

On Saturday, again over a yielding inner turf course, Davis had Step Dancer about five to six lengths off the early pace established by Kidnapped, who went 25.65 seconds for the opening quarter and 51.56 for the half and 1:17.35 for six furlongs.

Davis advanced gradually down the backside and around the turn and approaching the top of the stretch he opted to follow Like a Saltshaker, under Jose Ortiz. When Like a Saltshaker got through, so did Step Dancer. Like a Saltshaker came off the rail and Davis guided Step Dancer on through that vacant space and edged clear.

Step Dancer covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:48.69 and returned $16 to win.

“I saw [Ortiz] trying to find some room and he found some room up the rail, so I said let me follow him and I’ll try to find something once I get through with him,” Davis said. “Once he got through again he exploded like he did first time out. He impressed me again.”

Smullen said Step Dancer will head to South Florida, where he will most likely get a little bit of a break before getting one race at Gulfstream before returning to New York next year for the New York Stallion Series.