Title Role noses West End Kid in Belmont Derby

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Title Role played the lead character of a spine-tingling thriller in a Saturday matinee at Saratoga that saw him win his North American debut by a nose in the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby.

After racing closer to the pace than his connections had wanted, Title Role wrested the lead from pacesetting Touch of Fire just above the eighth pole and then hung on to win a nose bob over West End Kid to get the victory. It was a neck back to Remember Mama, the 3-2 favorite, in third.

It was Title Role’s fifth win from eight career starts and his first in North America. He is expected to remain in the U.S., where he could make his next start for his current trainers, Simon and Ed Crisford, but he will ultimately be transferred to Brendan Walsh.

Ed Crisford said it was back in February, after Title Rode won the Jumeirah Two Thousand Guineas in Dubai, that the Belmont Derby was first discussed. Title Role raced two more times, finishing fifth in a Group 3 at Newbury run down a straightaway before winning the Group 2 German 2000 Guineas, a two-turn mile.

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“He’s got this electric turn of foot, once he gets into the straight he switches leads and he really puts his best foot forward,” Ed Crisford said.

Crisford was hoping Title Role would be able to sit a few lengths off the pace. With very little speed in the race, Title Role was second, just 1 1/2 lengths behind the pacesetting Touch of Fire through a half-mile in 49.20 seconds and six furlongs in 1:13.15.

“I didn’t want to be that close,” Velazquez said.

Title Role made the front just before the eighth pole, but West End Kid, who was just off of Title Role’s flank down the backside, was about to confront him. The two horses streaked to the wire with heads bobbing in the final yards and Title Role came up on the right side of it.

“He saved me,” Velazquez said. “I thought I got it, but the jump after the wire ‘did they get me or was that after the wire?’ I have to give it to him, because I asked him down the lane, he put his head down and he was running. Even if we got beat, he ran a really good race, but I’m glad we got it.”

Title Role, a son of Too Darn Hot owned by Will Stroud and the Coolmore connections of Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magner and Derrck Smith, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.55 and returned $16.68 to win.

“At first I thought we won, then when I saw the slow-motion video I thought we’re second, then they called it,” Crisford said. “It was a very painful last 50 yards.”

Actually, the pain belonged to the connections of West End Kid, who came agonizingly close to his fourth consecutive victory.

The start of the Belmont Derby was delayed when the tack for West End Kid and Tiernanogue got mixed up. Jockey Ricardo Santana’s tack was put on West End Kid and jockey John Velazquez’s tack was put on Tiernanogue. Tho horses had to be unsaddled and re-saddled and the jockeys had to go back to the room to weigh back in.

“He got pretty upset at that, which is understandable,” Walden said of West End Kid. “All that transpired, short post parade, he went from that pretty much straight to the gate. He was pretty keen in the first turn and down the backside. To hang on that left lead all the way down the stretch and still come gaining on 11-and-2 [second final eighth], he’s good.”

Good, too, was Remember Mamba, who raced between horses just behind the leaders and came with a late rally that fell short.

“They got the jump on me,” said Jose Ortiz, rider of Remember Mamba. “I think my horse ran pretty good. We should be fine next time in the Saratoga Derby going a little longer.”

It’s possible all three horses could show up in the Grade 1, $750,000 Saratoga Derby going 1 3/16 miles on Aug. 8.

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