Tribecca leads throughout Hudson, Collegeville Girl rallies from last in Iroquois
Contrasting styles led to the same results in the two sprint stakes for older horses on Saturday’s Empire Classic program at Belmont Park after Tribecca led throughout to win the $125,000 Hudson Handicap and Collegeville Girl rallied from last to capture its filly counterpart, the $125,000 Iroquois.
Tribecca broke alertly from his inside post and sprinted right to the lead under jockey Kendrick Carmouche, withstood a determined challenge from Arthur’s Hope around the turn and into the stretch, shook free near the furlong grounds, and was never threatened thereafter. Big Engine rallied mildly along the inside to finish second, three lengths behind the winner with the 2-1 favorite Captain Bombastic another length further back in third.
The victory was the third in five starts and first against statebred competition this season for Tribecca, who was claimed for $25,000 by trainer Chris Englehart for owner Ronald Brown at Saratoga during the summer of 2019. A 6-year-old son of Bustin Stones, Tribecca paid $12.40 after completing 6 1/2 furlongs on a fast track in 1:16.01 while giving Carmouche his second stakes win on the card following his victory aboard Laobanonaprayer several hours earlier in the Maid of the Mist.
We were concerned about the distance today with the extra furlong,” said Englehart’s assistant Manuel Gonzalez. “He always runs good but sometimes after five and a half [furlongs] slows down. Today, he got the job done and we're so proud of him. He's a cool horse to be around."
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Tribecca had finished second after leading through mid-stretch in his last start, a six-furlong allowance race at Belmont on Sept. 26.
In the Iroquois, Collegeville Girl went postward the second-longest price on the board at odds of 23-1, with her prospects looking dim when still trailing the field turning into the stretch of the 6 1/2-furlong race. But after swinging seven paths wide off the turn, Collegeville Girl began to find her best stride, finishing full of run down the center of the course to run down Prairie Fire in the final strides and post a half-length decision.
Prairie Fire, an outsider herself at odds of 12-1 and the only horse Collegeville Girl had beat for the opening five furlongs, rallied steadily from between horses through mid-stretch, angled inside the tiring Timely Tradition a sixteenth from the wire but could not quite match strides with the winner at the end. Timely Tradition, who emerged with a clear lead at mid-stretch, finished third another neck behind Prairie Fire.
Joel Rosario rode Collegeville Girl, a 4-year-old daughter of Central Banker, for trainer Richard Vega. She paid $48.20 after completing the distance in 1:16.48.
“She deserved a shot over here. She's won here before,” said Vega. "I knew she had that closing kick and Joel Rosario told me he lost the whip so she carried him all the way through the wire like the winner that she is."