Therapist rallies from far back, outfinishes Bay Street Money in Pan American

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Apparently, you can teach an old horse new tricks.

Therapist, an 8-year-old New York-bred gelding who had won eight stakes in his career but never beyond 1 1/16 miles, demonstrated the ability to get 1 1/2 miles on Saturday at Gulfstream Park by rallying from well back to win the Grade 2, $200,000 Pan American Stakes by three-quarters of a length over Bay Street Money.

Both horses - as well as fourth-place finisher Wicked Fast - are trained by Mike Maker.

Owner Michael Dubb claimed Therapist for $50,000 on Jan. 20 and said he was just hoping to have a horse for the New York-bred optional claiming races at Belmont Park this summer.

Maker, who’s had uncanny success in marathon-distance races, suggested to Dubb to try the Pan American.

:: Get ready for Gulfstream Park racing with DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports.

“Mike looks at these pedigrees very carefully, I asked him ‘How do you stretch these horses out?’ ” Dubb said. “He said it’s not really that hard, you do a deep dive on their pedigree and you try something that hasn’t been tried.”

In the Pan Am, Therapist was sixth of eight early while Ry’s the Guy set the pace chased by Novo Sol through a half-mile in 48.53 seconds and six furlongs in 1:13.44.

Ortiz advanced Therapist between horses but still appeared to have too much to do as race favorite Master Piece came into the stretch with a seemingly comfortable lead. But Master Piece was getting passed by Bay Street Money on the outside. Therapist, under Irad Ortiz Jr., found something more and was able to outfinish that one for his 12th career win from 39 starts.

Therapist, a gelding by Freud, covered the 1 1/2 miles in 2:29.22 and returned $11. The $120,280 first-place purse pushed his career earnings to $970,475. Therapist was assigned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure.

“Michael Maker has a [knack] for going this far, I think he’s one of the best going a mile and a half,” Ortiz said. “I rode him with confidence. I let him settle in the beginning and started to pick it up by the five-eighths pole. He responded very well, the hole opened up inside and he responded with another gear.”

Dubb said plans for Therapist’s future may have changed with this performance.

“Unfortunately, they don’t write mile-and-a-half statebred races in New York,” Dubb said. “At this stage of his life, if this is his favorite move, we’ll have to run open, but that’s fine.”

Amazing Grace wins Orchid

After getting shuffled back while saving ground on the far turn, Amazing Grace came with an outside rally under Joel Rosario to win the Grade 3, $150,000 Orchid Stakes by a half-length over Personal Best. It was 1 1/4 lengths back to Atomic Blonde in third.

The first- and third-place finishers were making their first starts in this country and first for trainer Christophe Clement, who won the Orchid for the eighth time.

Amazing Grace and Atomic Blonde were purchased last December at the Arqana Deauville sale in France. Clement said Amazing Grace sold for between $800,000 and $850,000. In her most recent start, she finished third, only three lengths behind Rebel’s Romance, before that horse won the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

In the Orchid, Amazing Grace was in the back of the pack and along the rail while Transient set fractions of 24.53 seconds, 49.58, and 1:13.69. Atomic Blonde, racing three-wide under Jose Ortiz, made an early move toward the leaders while Rosario was trying to advance along the inside. Amazing Grace got stuck behind a tiring Viburnum and got shuffled back to seventh.

“A horse slowed down in front of me a little bit, I was trying to stay inside, save a little ground like Christophe told me,” Rosario said. “We got shuffled a little bit but she was okay with it. I was able to find another spot after and she continued moving forward after that.”

Switched to the outside, Amazing Grace was moving fastest of all in the lane, outfinishing both Personal Best and Atomic Blonde.

Amazing Grace, a 5-year-old German-bred daughter of Protectionist owned by Moyglare Stud - who won this race with Clement in 2000 with Lisieux Rose - covered the 1 1/2 miles in 2:28.82 and returned $4.40 as the favorite. Amazing Grace earned a 98 Beyer.

“She’s very impressive, great ride. I told him ride her like a good horse, she’s trained well,” said Clement, who won his first Orchid in 1994 with Trampoli. “Her form was very, very good in Europe.”

Clement said Amazing Grace would be pointed to the Grade 2, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay at Belmont Park on May 5.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.