Win Win Win rallies late to capture Manila Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – Win Win Win may have found a new home on turf as he rallied from last in an eight-horse field to win Thursday’s $100,000 Manila Stakes by a half-length at Belmont Park.

Not only was it a successful turf debut, but Win Win Win’s final time of 1:31.56 for one mile was just .33 off the Widener turf course record set by Oscar Performance last year in the Grade 3 Poker Stakes.

Win Win Win was making his first start on turf after a ninth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and seventh in the Preakness.

“I’m pleased to get back in the winner’s circle with him, a horse like this doesn’t belong unplaced too often,” trainer Michael Trombetta said. “The Derby went to hell with the rain, then Preakness we got such a bad draw and a tough trip. On the Thorograph numbers he ran as fast as the winner and got nothing for it. We all know that’s racing, I get it, I don’t want to have to get it too often.”

For the first half-mile of the Manila, it didn’t look like Win Win Win was going to get any part of this purse. He was last under Julian Pimentel, six lengths off the pacesetting Ian Glass, who ran a quarter in 22.77 seconds and a half-mile in 45.29.

Around the turn, Pimentel was able to save some ground, but approaching the top of the stretch, he had to tip widest of all.

“I wasn’t planning on doing that, I was following [Clint Maroon], he ran out of horse so I had to do my own thing,” Pimentel said.

Fog of War, a Grade 1 winning 2-year-old who was an up-close third early, took the lead in upper stretch and was in front after six furlongs were run in 1:08.45. But Pimentel and Win Win Win kept coming and got up in the last two jumps.

“He wasn’t too far out of range off a fairly honest pace but I did get a little concerned around the turn,” Trombetta said. “I said 'It’s time to get moving,' and he wasn’t moving yet. I did ask him to try save what ground he could and then get outside.”

Fog of War finished second by a head over Casa Creed, who was 3 1/2 lengths clear of Clint Maroon. He was followed by Pole Setter, Pulsate, Ian Glass, and Gentleman Joe. Current was scratched.

Win Win Win, owned and bred by Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation, returned $10.40 as the fourth choice in the field of eight.

Trombetta didn’t have a next start in mind, saying he wanted to see how this turf experiment went first. If Win Win Win stays on the grass, a race like the $1 million Saratoga Derby going 1 3/16 miles on Aug. 4 could be in play as could the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes on Aug. 10 at Arlington Park.

Despite the loss, trainer Chad Brown was encouraged by the effort of Fog of War, who had finished sixth in the Paradise Creek Stakes, his 3-year-old debut, on May 25.

“He was he only horse near the pace that still was a factor late, he really fought on bravely to the end,” Brown said. “This was a really top effort today, best of his career, and something to build off of.”