Vekoma runs away with Carter Handicap

ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer George Weaver said he always knew Vekoma was a special horse. After the 4-year-old colt galloped to a 7 ¼-length win in Saturday’s Grade 1 Runhappy Carter Handicap in the slop at Belmont Park, he hopes everybody else realizes it as well.

Sitting second behind American Anthem for the opening half-mile, Vekoma, under Javier Castellano, overtook that rival straightening way down the lane and splashed his way to an emphatic victory in the first Grade 1 race of the year run on this circuit.

Network Effect rallied to get second by 1 1/4 lengths over American Anthem. Firenze Fire was fourth, followed by Nitrous, Mind Control, Bon Raison and Still Having Fun. Performer, the 3-1 morning-line favorite, was scratched due to an ankle injury. Midnightcharly and Majestic Dunhill were also scratched.

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Vekoma, a 4-year-old son of Candy Ride owned by Randy Hill and Mike Gatsas, improved his record to 5 for 7. The Carter was his first Grade 1 victory, adding to a resume that includes the Grade 2 Blue Grass and Grade 3 Nashua. He increased his earnings to $973,525.

“Early on he stamped himself as special when he won the Blue Grass and got us on the Derby trail,” said Weaver. “The performance today, that’s about as impressive as you’re going to get. He freaked out on them today. I know how special he is, but they still got to go out and prove it by doing something like that in the afternoon.”

The Carter was originally scheduled for April 4 at Aqueduct. But that race was postponed when that track’s spring meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weaver got a prep race into Vekoma by running him in the Sir Shackleton Stakes at Gulfstream on March 28. He won that race by 3 3/4 lengths and appeared to take a step forward on Saturday.

Though his worst race came over a sloppy track when he finished 13th in last year’s Kentucky Derby, Castellano said the 1 1/4-mile distance - not the surface - worked against Vekoma that day.

“I didn’t have any concern before the race because I rode him in the slop in the Kentucky Derby and he loved it - a mile and a quarter was just too far,” Castellano said. “He cut back in distance and we got what we were looking for today.”

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Vekoma covered the seven furlongs in 1:21.02 and returned $5.30 as the favorite.

Weaver said that if Vekoma comes out of the Carter in good shape he would point him to the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap on July 4.

“The way he ran today, if I thought he was doing good, hell yeah we’ll try the Met Mile,” Weaver said. “We’ll let him tell us how he’s doing.”

* Despite NYRA’s advance-deposit wagering platform being down for several hours, all-sources handle on Saturday’s 11-race card at Belmont was $22,775,876. That included $1,965,072 on the Empire 6, which had a mandatory payout.

The Empire 6 returned $818.90 for a 20-cent wager.