Three Technique lands Cook first graded stakes win

ELMONT, N.Y. — Three Technique made a triumphant return to the New York Racing Association circuit Saturday and made trainer Jason Cook a winner in his Belmont Park debut, capturing the Grade 2, $250,000 John Nerud Stakes by 3 3/4 lengths.

Synthesis, the longest shot on the board at 20-1, got up for second by a head over Candy Man Rocket. Sheriff Bianco, Twisted Ride, and the favored Weyburn completed the order of finish.

The win was the first graded stakes for Cook, who began training in 1991. It was also the first graded stakes score for Three Technique, who began his career at Belmont Park with a runner-up finish in a maiden race in 2019. Three Technique hadn’t run here since a third-place finish to Mind Control in the 2021 John Nerud when he was trained by Jeremiah Englehart for Hall of Fame football coach Bill Parcells.

Cook claimed Three Technique for $40,000 in November 2021. Saturday’s win was his third in 13 starts for Cook and owner David Miller who eventually brought in partners Eric Grindley and John Werner.

Cook had Three Technique entered in Saturday’s Hanshin Stakes at Ellis Park. But Cook preferred the one-turn configuration of the Nerud to the Hanshin, which, being run at Ellis Park, was run around 1 1/2 turns. Last year, when the Hanshin was run at Churchill Downs, Three Technique came within a neck of beating Cody’s Wish.

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“He ran what I would say was the best race of his career,” Cook said, referring to Three Technique’s performance in the 2022 Hanshin. “Maybe today might have been just as good or better.”

Javier Castellano, who suffered a tough beat earlier in the day aboard Saudi Crown in the Grade 3 Dwyer, was aboard Three Technique for the first time. He said the main thing Cook told him was when he made his move, to get the horse to the outside.

Three Technique broke from post 2 and was pretty much stuck inside for most of the race, though he was within three lengths of the pace, first established by Twisted Ride and then Little Vic.

Coming to the top of the stretch, Three Technique was following Candy Man Rocket, who, under Junior Alvarado took over the lead inside the three sixteenths pole.

That gave Castellano ample room to guide Three Technique to the outside and despite not switching leads, Three Technique overtook Candy Man Rocket and once he did switch leads inside the sixteenth pole he ran away from the field.

Three Technique, a 6-year-old son of Mr Speaker, covered the seven furlongs in 1:22.88 and returned $13.60 to win.

“I had plenty of horses outside of me, I had to wait as long as I could but I was following the right horses,” Castellano said. “I stepped outside and he took off. It took [awhile] to switch leads and then he finally switched leads, but he was running.”

Three Technique was coming off an allowance win at Churchill which he won by a head.

“He’s finished his last two really running,” Cook said.

Cook would like to point Three Technique to the Ack Ack at Churchill Downs in late September and would likely find a spot to run him once before then, though he didn’t expect it to be at Saratoga where Three Technique has one win from six starts.

Weyburn, the 8-5 favorite who was making his first start for trainer Todd Pletcher, broke last under Jose Ortiz and never improved his position.

“He broke a step slow and as you could see I was struggling to get into the race almost every step of the way,” Ortiz said. “Could never get him in a good rhythm and there was not much I could do there.”

It was an otherwise successful day for Ortiz, who won four races on Saturday’s card to move within two victories, 49-47, of his brother Irad for leading rider at the meet with cards remaining.

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