Xenobia takes Athenia under confident ride by Velazquez

ELMONT, N.Y. – The retirement Friday of dual-surface Grade 1 winner Catholic Boy certainly left a void in trainer Jonathan Thomas’ barn. On Sunday, Xenobia did her part to try and fill it.

Making an early move to the lead under John Velazquez, Xenobia opened up a six-length advantage around the far turn and held on for a 1 1/2-length victory over Sweet Bye and Bye in Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia Stakes at soggy Belmont Park. It was a half-length back to Andina Del Sur in third.

The victory was the first from three starts in North America for Xenobia, a 5-year-old Irish-bred daughter of Falco that Thomas trains for George Strawbridge’s Augustin Stable. It was Xenobia’s fifth win from 13 starts and her first since she won the Group 3 Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown in August 2018.

The Athenia was run in the rain. While the turf course was labeled firm, it definitely had some cut in it, which Thomas thought would be advantageous to his mare.

“We were doing a rain dance all day,” Thomas said. “Her races in Europe were all on soft ground."

When looking at the race on paper, Velazquez thought he would be sitting third, stalking two speed horses. Breaking from the outside post, however, Velazquez wanted to get his filly going out of the gate to get position

Though Candy Store and Sweet Bye and Bye were ahead of Xenobia early, once the filly straightened away down the backstretch, she pulled Velazquez to the lead after a half-mile in 47.46 seconds while racing four wide.

Velazquez said that once Xenobia got past the rope that acts like a faux rail from the gate to the hedge on the turn of the inner turf course, “She got on the bridle, she got aggressive.

"[Thomas] said if she gets too aggressive, don’t fight her. Once she got aggressive I let her do whatever wanted to do.”

Velazquez said though Xenobia was going fast – she ran six furlongs in 1:10.85 – she was relaxed. Though Sweet Bye and Bye and Andina Del Sur tried running at her in the stretch, Xenobia held on for the victory.

Xenobia covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.21 and returned $16.40.

“I loved the assertiveness, I thought his ride into the first turn was Hall of Fame, trademark Johnny,” Thomas said. “She had a little daylight and put some separation [on the competition]. She’s really fit and I knew the ground was going to flatter her, so it was worth being a little bit aggressive.”

Thomas didn’t have any immediate plans for Xenobia but a race that might make sense is the $150,000 Forever Together at Aqueduct on Nov. 29. Forever Together was the 2008 female turf champion campaigned by Strawbridge.