Wedding Toast looks as good as ever taking Ruffian

ELMONT, N.Y. - Limited to one start in 2014 due to a knee injury, Wedding Toast flashed her graded stakes-winning form from her 3-year-old season with an emphatic four-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Ruffian Stakes at Belmont Park.

Receiving an outside stalking trip under Jose Lezcano - and with stablemate Via Strata setting decent early fractions - Wedding Toast took command outside the eighth pole and galloped home a smart-looking winner.

Princess Violet, who had defeated Wedding Toast in the Grade 1 Madison going seven furlongs at Keeneland on April 4, settled for second, 2 1/2 lengths ahead of House Rules. Shayjolie, Via Strata, and Macha completed the order of finish.

Wedding Toast, a 5-year-old homebred daughter of Street Sense owned by Godolphin Racing, ran her record to 6 for 10. She previously won the Grade 3 Comely as a 3-year-old at Aqueduct in 2013 as part of a four-race winning streak.

In her one start at 4, she finished second to the multiple Grade 1 winner Princess of Sylmar in an overnight stakes at Aqueduct before missing the remainder of the year with a knee issue that did not require surgery.

Wedding Toast won an overnight stakes to begin this season before losing two graded stakes. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin had considered shipping her to Churchill Downs for the Grade 1 La Troienne on the Kentucky Derby undercard, but had reservations with the way the mare had trained the week before the race.

“One of those gut feelings. I’m glad it worked out today, we weren’t sure,” McLaughlin said. “I liked the race shape and the way Jose rode her.”

Wedding Toast broke from the outside post and never had a straw in her path under Lezcano, stalking the pace from fourth before making her move approaching the quarter pole.

“Today was all about getting her to relax and she did, and she gave me a great race,” Lezcano said.

Wedding Toast ran a mile in 1:34.86 and returned $3.30 to win.

Wedding Toast will most likely be pointed to the Grade 1, $1 million Ogden Phipps at Belmont on June 6, a race that is likely to include Untapable, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2014.