manila stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Eric Fein's Original earned a career-best 86 Beyer Speed Figure with a gate-to-wire score in Sunday's $100,000 Manila, holding off a furious late rally from Public Sector in the one-mile Widener turf test for sophomores at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The Kentucky-bred son of Quality Road, with Luis Saez up for trainer John Terranova, set a moderate pace over good going, kicking two lengths clear of the field at the stretch call en route to a head score.

“It was a gutsy race. He's a real consistent horse. He always gives an honest effort,” said Terranova. “Fortunately, he handled the soft going and did that well yesterday. He used his speed to his advantage. Everyone backed off on him and Luis was able to get the jump on them and kick away.”

Original finished third in the one-mile Grade 3 Kitten's Joy in January at Gulfstream and completed the trifecta in the 1 1/16-mile Woodhaven in April at Aqueduct.

Terranova said that the one-mile Grade 2, $200,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame on August 6 at Saratoga is a possibility, but he would also like to see if Original can carry his speed for a bigger purse in the 1 3/16-miile Grade 1, $ 1 million Saratoga Derby Invitational, second leg of the Turf Triple series on August 7.

“I'm not so sure the mile is his game. We'll see how he's doing coming into Saratoga but it's [the Hall of Fame] certainly a possibility,” said Terranova. “We've toyed with the idea of stretching him out further because he has speed that can carry. He's very handy and can control the race at times. He's got a turn of foot and he digs in and tries.

“The Saratoga Derby is a race we might think about if things are going well,” Terranova continued. “Speed can be a key weapon on the grass if your horse can carry it. He's got the pedigree for it and the mind. He's pretty smooth and chill.”

Terranova said Hidden Brook Farm and Joseph G. McMahon's Bank Sting is on target for the Grade 3, $250,000 Molly Pitcher, a 1 1/16-mile test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up on July 17 at Monmouth Park.

The 4-year-old daughter of Central Banker, out of the Precise End mare Bee in a Bonnet, was a gate-to-wire winner of the one-mile Critical Eye last out over a muddy Belmont main track on May 31. Mrs. Orb, third-place finisher in the Critical Eye, came back to win the Caesar's Wish on Sunday at Pimlico.

Bred in the Empire State by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, Bank Sting worked six furlongs in 1:14.78 Monday in company with maiden-winner Life Change on a Belmont main track rated fast.

“She's doing great. She had a big work this morning. She's done nothing wrong and deserve a shot at that next level,” said Terranova. “We're looking at the Molly Pitcher at Monmouth. We got some black type on her, so let's see if we can get some graded type.”

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Eric Fein's Original picked up his first stakes win in Sunday's $100,000 Manila, holding off a furious late rally from Public Sector in the one-mile Widener turf test for sophomores at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The graded stakes-placed Quality Road colt turned the tables on his rival Sunday after fading to third last out when Public Sector prevailed in a one-mile optional-claiming event contested over yielding turf on June 4 at Belmont.

With Luis Saez up once more in the seventh renewal of the Manila, Original broke alertly from post 4 and made all the running, holding off even-money favorite Public Sector's late run to secure a narrow head score.

“I saw him [Public Sector] coming,” said Original trainer John Terranova. “But Luis rode him beautiful and had a little clearance coming to the top of the stretch and was able to hold on.”

Original set splits of :24.85, :50.30, and 1:14.44 over a turf course rated good with It's a Gamble stalking from second position outside of Hot Blooded and a hard-held Straw Into Gold riding the hedge in fourth.

Public Sector, who settled in fifth after the break under Flavien Prat, tipped outside of Hot Blooded and the fading It's a Gamble late in the turn as Straw Into Gold launched his bid up the rail. But there was no reeling in Original, who stayed on stubbornly to secure the win in a final time of 1:37.75.

Public Sector completed the exacta by 1 1/2-lengths over Straw Into Gold. Rounding out the order of finish were It's a Gamble, the slow-starting Annex, and Hot Blooded.

Like the King, who ran second in Saturday's Grade 3 Kent at Delaware Park; and Ridin With Biden, who will race in Monday's $250,000 Grade 3 Dwyer at one-mile on Big Sandy, were scratched.

A maiden winner at second asking over yielding Aqueduct Racetrack turf in November, Original ran third in the Grade 3 Kitten's Joy in January at Gulfstream Park and followed with a third in the Woodhaven in April at the Big A.

The victory marked the second stakes win of the meet for Terranova, who said he felt confident throughout.

“I knew we were going easy. The fractions were slow but the turf is very soft, so I didn't expect too fast fractions,” said Terranova. “They let him out there easy. The only thing we talked to Luis about was if they came to us at the quarter-pole, to kick away a little, because they're going to be kicking down the stretch. We wanted to get a little clear from there, which he did, and it worked out beautiful.”

Saez said his charge was touting himself on the way to the gate.

“Today, I knew I had horse. When I took him away from the pony I could feel it. He was ready. He was on his game today,” said Saez. “He was the speed of the race and he did his thing. He broke pretty well and set the pace. When we came into the top of the stretch, I had a lot of horse, and he came and gave me a fight in the last few jumps. It was an exciting race.”

Bred in Kentucky by Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, Original banked $55,000 in victory while improving his record to 7-2-0-3. He returned $15.80 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Monday at Belmont with a nine-race card highlighted by the $150,000 Grand Couturier in Race 6 and the Grade 3, $250,000 Dwyer in Race 8. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

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