commentator stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Trainer John Terranova said he was delighted with the performance of Funny Guy, who captured Friday's one-turn mile Commentator at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., off a nine-month layoff, where he garnered a 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

Owned by R. A. Hill Stable, Gatsas Stable and Swick Stable, Funny Guy had not raced since finishing sixth in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby on September 29 at Remington Park, which was his lone start against open company. He collected his third career stakes win in the Commentator after taking the Albany at Saratoga and the Times Square division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series last April at Aqueduct during his 3-year-old campaign.

Terranova left all options open for the 4-year-old son of Big Brown, including a start against open company.

“We'll see as we go down the road into the summer what the schedule will be like,” Terranova said. “He's a really nice colt that we've liked all along since we've got him. He's progressed beautifully over the course of time. I'm just happy to see him back and happy that people have had the patience to wait things out and just stay the course. I'm grateful that he's a sound and happy horse.”

Terranova said Funny Guy has been ready to run for quite a while, but was not concerned about the long layoff.

“He's pretty smart. He's kind of unique in that way. He's one of those smart colts that just knows what's up, That's just the impression he gives you,” Terranova said. “We loved him all along. We were coming off a bit of a break and we weren't planning on being gone that long, nobody was.

“He had been ready for a while,” added Terranova. “It looked pretty competitive for a New York-bred stake, and he was going up against older horses. It was a great performance, Joel [Rosario] gave a great ride and we were expecting a big performance out of him, how big was the question.

Terranova also said Curragh Stables' Killybegs Captain will be receiving some time off due to an ankle injury. The graded stakes-winning son of Mizzen Mast last raced when taking the Pelican at Tampa Bay Downs on February 15.

“He's getting some time off right now. He had a deal with his ankle. We're just going to see what happens into the summer, into the fall,” Terranova said.

The post No Joke: Funny Guy Gets 101 Beyer Speed Figure With Commentator Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Funny Guy finished strong in his first start off a nine-month layoff, surging alongside the rail under jockey Joel Rosario to overtake Blewitt in the stretch and outkick two additional challengers to his outside, capturing Friday's $125,000 Commentator, a one-turn mile for New York-breds 3-years-old and up at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Owned by Gatsas Stables, R.A. Hill Stable and Swick Stable, Funny Guy won two stakes in his 3-year-old campaign, with his last race coming in a sixth-place effort in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby in September at Remington Park.

Funny Guy was content to sit off Blewitt's early pace, leading the nine-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 22.67 seconds and the half in 45.81 on the fast main track.

Rosario piloted Funny Guy to a ground-saving trip, gaining position near the rail and made a strong move out of the turn. In the stretch, the John Terranova trainee linked up with Blewitt to his outside and gained the edge as Bankit and 4-5 favorite Mr. Buff, the high weight carrying 127 pounds, also challenged from Blewitt's outside.

Funny Guy, carrying 120 pounds, hit the wire in a final time of 1:34.35, besting runner-up Mr. Buff by 1 ¼ lengths. Funny Guy improved to 4-4-0 in 11 career starts in his impressive 4-year-old bow.

“He's been doing really well and training great,” Terranova said. “We've had him ready for a while now. Of course, we've all been delayed coming back, and the race came up a deep field for New York-breds; that was our only maybe concern. As far as his training goes, he's progressed as a 4-year-old and just gotten stronger and stronger. I was hoping for a big effort and thought we would get it, but it was even sweeter than expected.”

Off at 11-1, Funny Guy returned $24.40 on a $2 win wager. The Big Brown colt earned $68,750 for the win, increasing his career bankroll to $458,395.

“Between the three-eighths and the quarter-pole, I had a problem with the horses in front of me and I had to check him a little bit,” Rosario said. “He was okay with that and was handling everything fine and was able to come up the inside and sustain his run. He kept improving. The further we went, the better he was going.”

Funny Guy has now won at 6 ½ furlongs, one mile, and 1 1/8 miles and has also run second in each of his two turf starts, with each coming in stakes against New York breds.

Mr. Buff, who entered with three consecutive wins and four victories in his last five starts for trainer John Kimmel, edged Bankit by a neck for second.

“He's a pro. He ran his race,” said Junior Alvarado, Mr. Buff's rider. “We thought coming into the race, it might be a little quick for him. He had only four workouts and two were easy and two trying to get him a little tighter before the race. We had that on our minds and I didn't want to chase the lead too early and get tired.

“Coming from a little bit of a layoff, I thought he put a great effort in today,” he added. “He was really digging in for me and he never gave up any ground. I don't think the weight mattered too much. He's a big guy, he can handle it. For me, it was more just needing a little more time.”

Blewitt, Build to Suit, Pat On the Back, Honor Up and My Boy Tate completed the order of finish. Whistling Birds was pulled up on the backstretch and vanned off.

The Commentator is named for the former trainee of Hall of Famer Nick Zito, who won the 2005 and 2008 editions of the Whitney at Saratoga Race Course and compiled three graded stakes wins overall in a career that spanned 2004-09.

Live racing resumes Saturday with a 10-race card highlighted by the Grade 1, $300,000 Ogden Phipps, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Distaff, in Race 9 at 5:36 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:15 p.m.

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