Third Coast wins Hill Prince; Doubting Thomas takes Bricks and Mortar
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ELMONT, N.Y. - For different reasons, the one-mile distance of the Gio Ponti Stakes on Sept. 7 at Saratoga didn’t quite work well for either Third Coast or Doubting Thomas.
Turns out, Third Coast, second in the Gio Ponti, wanted more distance, while Doubting Thomas, sixth in the Gio Ponti, wanted less.
On Saturday, at Belmont Park, Third Coast showed his fondness for more ground by winning the Grade 3, $200,000 Hill Prince Stakes at 1 3/16 miles by 1 1/4 lengths. An hour earlier, Doubting Thomas appreciated shortening up to seven furlongs as he captured the $175,000 Bricks and Mortar by one length. Both races were restricted to 3-year-olds.
Trainer Tom Proctor figured Third Coast would appreciate more ground as the gelding’s mother, Marketing Mix - whom Proctor trained - was a Grade 1 winner at 1 1/8 miles and 1 1/4 miles.
“His mother wanted to run two miles,” Proctor said.
Proctor also noted that in the Gio Ponti, Third Coast “didn’t settle … Saratoga kind of screwed everything up. It took a race to get him to settle down. And maybe this wasn’t the strongest field, who knows?”
Jose Lezcano had Third Coast settled in second, tracking 51-1 shot Bull Shoals through a quarter in 24.56 seconds, a half-mile in 49.80 and six furlongs in 1:13.97. Third Coast took over from Bull Shoals turning for home and was never seriously threatened even as race favorite Caroline St. Beat made a mild bid to get second by a length over Bull Shoals, who held third by a neck over Print.
Third Coast, a gelding by Uncle Mo owned and bred by Glen Hill Farm, covered the 1 3/16 miles in 1:54.93 and returned $13.76.
“He’s got a lot of class, sometimes he’s still green a little bit, but today with the setup I got he did everything so easy,” Lezcano said.
Manny Franco, rider of Caroline St. Beat, said his horse may have been compromised by the moderate pace.
“The race was so slow, I was riding my horse the way the race set up,” Franco said. “My horse was traveling well, he just couldn’t get there.”
Proctor said Third Coast would likely be pointed to the $500,000 Jockey Club Derby at 1 5/16 miles on Nov. 28.
Bricks and Mortar
Doubting Thomas didn’t handle the two-turn mile of the Gio Ponti a month ago at Saratoga, where he was beaten seven lengths. Turned back to seven furlongs in the inaugural Bricks and Mortar, Doubting Thomas rebounded with a one-length victory over the late-running Iron Palace.
Michael Trombetta, the trainer of Doubting Thomas, seemed surprised when his horse didn’t get the mile of the Gio Ponti.
“I thought we had a great chance and Johnny [Velazquez] said he didn’t appreciate two turns,” Trombetta said. “I guess he didn’t want to be grabbed up and made to slow down.”
The Bricks and Mortar was run at seven furlongs around one turn. Under Jorge Ruiz, Doubting Thomas broke running, but settled into midpack, less than four lengths off the lead, while Intricate Spirit set the pace hounded by Learntodiscover and then Feline Curious.
Around the far turn, Doubting Thomas rallied three to four wide and stayed well out in the stretch. He collared Intricate Spirit in midstretch and held off a late-rallying Iron Palace to get his fourth victory from seven starts.
Iron Palace finished second by 1 1/4 lengths over Big Destroyer.
“He ran very well,” said Ruiz, who has been aboard for three of Doubting Thomas’ four wins. “He broke good and I sat in a good position and I waited until the quarter pole to send him.”
Doubting Thomas, a son of Carvaggio owned by the estate of Larry Johnson, covered the seven furlongs in 1:20.17 and returned $9.62 to win.
Trombetta mentioned the $175,000 Carle Place here on Nov. 7 as a potential next race for Doubting Thomas.
Two Out Hero, the 3-2 favorite under Rafael Hernandez, got stymied as he attempted to rally along the rail and finished seventh.
“The rail opened a little bit, I had the horse to go through, but as soon as I tried to go through my horse got too intimidated with the rail and the other horse and he sucked back,” Hernandez said.
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