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Delgado Has Visions of Breeders’ Cup For The Critical Way

Trainer Jose Delgado was so impressed by what he saw from his speedy grass sprinter The Critical Way on Saturday at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. that he immediately began plotting out a schedule that would get the 7-year-old gelding to the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 6.

It wasn't just that The Critical Way won the $75,000 Get Serious Stakes with ease, pulling away for a three-length victory. It was how he won the five-furlong grass feature.

Known for his blazing early speed, The Critical Way sat off the flanks of an even speedier French Reef, doing so through an opening quarter in a dazzling :20.11 and through a half in :43.34. Jockey Paco Lopez eased The Critical Way around French Reef entering the final turn and the son of Tizway took off, showing a finishing kick that can sometimes elude him when he is on the front end.

Final time for the five furlongs on a turf that was listed as “firm” was :55.19.

“We always think of this horse as being in front right out of the gate because he has a lot of speed,” said Delgado, who tops the Monmouth Park trainer standings with 11 wins. “But Paco Lopez told me he was very comfortable coming off the pace. That's a new dimension for him. We always think he's one way and it's go, go, go. Now we've seen he can sit behind the speed and make one move and he can win that way. I like that.

“We saw he can sit comfortably. That gives us a lot of options. He is very consistent. He gives you everything he has. We'll look at some serious things for him now. Maybe we'll try something in Saratoga, then one or two races at Parx and then if everything goes right we will try to take him to the Breeders' Cup. That's the plan. That's the hope.”

Lopez said The Critical Way “didn't break like he usually does.”

“Usually he is right out of the gate and on the lead,” said Lopez. “I think he got scared a little bit and jumped behind (French Reef). I know that horse from seeing him in Florida. That's a very fast horse. So I was behind that one but he was very comfortable, which surprised me because it is something new for him.

“I came in thinking I would make the lead but I had to go to Plan B. But the horse made it easy for me with how comfortable he was. He was close. It's not like he was far back. So when I did ask him he just took off.”

After being caught at the wire in his last start in the Turf Sprint Stakes at Pimlico on the Preakness Stakes card, The Critical Way notched his fourth stakes victory and eighth win overall in 25 career starts for Monster Racing Stables. He paid $3.80 to win.

French Reef held second, 1¼ lengths ahead of Francatelli.

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Ocala Dream Improves In Spectacular Bid

Ocala Dream had the distinction of improving his Beyer Speed Figures in each of his first four career starts. The continual improvement extended to his stakes debut on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, Ny., as the Effinex colt took command at the top of the stretch and outkicked 5-2 favorite Step Dancer to post a one-length score in the $150,000 New York Stallion Stakes Series Spectacular Bid for eligible state-sired 3-year-olds going seven furlongs on the Widener turf course.

Ocala Dream, owned by Thomas Albrecht, Vincent Fusaro, and James Klein, broke his maiden at fourth asking last out, topping Bar Fourteen by 1 1/2 lengths in a 1 1/16-mile turf contest over firm going at Belmont.

Trainer Tom Morley said before the race he was looking to use this contest as a springboard to the $150,000 NYSSS Cab Calloway going one mile on the turf July 28 at Saratoga Race Course.

But Morley saw his charge garner more than just a positive experience. Ocala Dream, under jockey Junior Alvarado, tracked in fourth position as Dreamer's Disease led the 11-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in :22.82 and the half in :45.61 over firm going.

Alvarado had plenty of horse out of the turn, surging to the front in overtaking the tiring pacesetter from the outside. Barrage challenged in the final furlong and Step Dancer made an even stronger later bid, but Ocala Dream pressed on to complete the course in 1:21.20.

“It's always a big edge when you have a horse who breaks out of the gate very good,” Alvarado said. “It helps you to get the position you want. He broke alertly and put himself in a good spot, I just had to guide him turning for home. Once I got him in the clear, he knew what to do after that. I kept after him just a little bit to get the job done. He wasn't the favorite but he was much the best today.

“I was very pleased with the way he won last time and even though we were going a little shorter this time, I didn't have a problem with it,” Alvarado added. “I thought he would have a stronger kick shortening up in distance.”

Following a nine-month break, Ocala Dream made his 3-year-old debut with a third-place finish in a one-mile maiden special weight at Belmont, running third going one mile on April 23. After winning at 1 1/16-mile last out, Ocala Dream cut back to a turf sprint for the first time in his career but aced the test, with the 3-1 selection returning $8.40 on a $2 win wager.

“We thought this distance might have been a little on the short side for him, but he broke better his last race and broke relatively well in this race,” Albrecht said. “Coming around the turn, it looked like Junior had a lot of horse. He galloped out all the way to the backstretch. We were really pleased.”

Ocala Dream, bred in New York by Mahwinney Liberman, Beglin, and Coutsodontis, more than doubled his career earnings to $137,600.

“He had a very nice trip from Junior,” said Juan Bernardini, assistant to Morley. “This horse has been improving and with each race is getting better and better. He has so much class.”

Step Dancer, trained by Barclay Tagg and ridden by Dylan Davis, bested Barrage by a half-length for second.

“I think we were a little compromised with the seven-eighths going in, and then on top of that the outside post was tough,” Davis said. “He's a very nice horse. I did the best I could with saving ground and I was happy with where I was at in the two-path. I was able to find a seam in between. Seven-eighths is just a little on the short side for him. He's a very nice horse and when he stretches out again, he's going to be very tough.”

Devious Mo finished fourth, with It's Gravy, Dancing Buck, The King Cheek, Hold the Salsa, Jacks American Pie, Market Alert, and Dreamer's Disease completing the order of finish.

Thunderbird Cafe scratched, as did main-track only entrants Sinful Dancer and Gods Will. King Moonracer was scratched at the starting gate.

The Spectacular Bid is named for the 1982 Hall of Fame inductee who won the 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, tallying 26 wins in his 30 career starts. He was named the 1980 Horse of the Year after going 9-for-9 in his 4-year-old campaign.

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Starship Nterprise Rallies Boldly To Win Martha Washington

Starship Stables and trainer Steve Dwoskin's Starship Nterprise rallied from well off the early pace to score a 33-1 upset victory in Saturday's $75,000 Martha Washington Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 3-year-old daughter of Honor Code, who defeated older $50,000 maidens to graduate in her ninth career start last time out, surged between horses in late stretch to win by a neck in the mile turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

“I'm very surprised,” said Dwoskin, who opted to run the Kentucky-bred filly in the stakes restricted to 3-year-olds than give her another chance with older fillies and mares. “It was better to go against 3-year-olds than against older horses.”

Starship Nterprise saved ground while settling off an early pace contested by Hana Lima and Karakatsie during fractions of 24.36 and 48.05 seconds for the first half-mile. Karakatsie, the 9-5 favorite ridden by Edwin Gonzalez, moved to the lead entering the stretch with Charges Dropped looming as a danger along the rail. Starship Nterprise, who cut the corner in to the stretch kicked in with a powerful drive between horses to surge late to claim the victory under Miguel Vasquez.

Karakatsie, who finished second behind Con Lima in the May 1 Powder Break Stakes at Gulfstream, held off Charges Drop by a half-length to finish second.

Starship Nterprise ran a mile over a firm turf course in 1:36.74 to notch her second straight victory.

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Bell’s the One Is Number One In Roxelana

Bell's the One showed her love for the Twin Spires Saturday in the Roxelana Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The 5-year-old mare, trained by Neil Pessin and ridden by Corey Lanerie, went four wide on the race's final turn and ran down Sconsin in the stretch to win the Roxelana by a three-quarters of a length.

In a field of six, Sconsin, who won the Grade 3 Winning Colors Stakes in her previous start, went into the gate as the favorite with Bell's the One as the second choice. At the break, longshot Jungle Juice grabbed a short advantage, but Four Graces and Julien Leparoux took over the lead with Jungle Juice and Sconsin tightly packed behind her. Bell's the One ran fifth in the tightly bunched field, Lanerie moving his mare to the outside as the field entered the final turn. As Sconsin and Tyler Gafflione passed Four Graces to take the lead, Lanerie positioned Bell's the One to Sconsin's outside and set her down for a drive in the stretch. Gafflione moved Sconsin to the rail, but her time at the front was brief as Bell's the One had more than enough left to grab the lead for the good. Sconsin held on to second place with Miss Mosaic third. Four Graces, Shesomajestic, and Jungle Juice rounded out the field.

Find this race's chart here.

The Roxelana is Bell's the One's first win in three starts in 2021. Her previous wins at Churchill Downs include the 2020 G3 Winning Colors and the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff. Sired by Majesticperfection, Bell's the One is out of the Street Cry (IRE) mare Street Mate. Bred by Bret Jones, the 5-year-old mare is owned by Lothenbach Stables. She was sold by Brereton Jones to Lothenbach Stables for $155,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Yearling Sale.

Corey Lanerie knew Bell's the One was ready for her race with Sconsin. “Today I let her run a little bit out of the gate because I didn't think the pace would be too fast. Then, I was sort of in the pocket (inside of Sconsin) and I didn't really like my spot because I know she needs to be outside of horses. I took her back from there to make sure I got first run at Sconsin. You could tell she was ready to run a big race and Neil had her ready to go.”

Neil Pessin has his sights set on Breeders' Cup for Bell's the One. “The last four or five days you could tell in her training she was ready to run a big race. She got a much better trip today than in her last start. Now, we'll look to get her ready for the Breeders' Cup. She'll likely run in the (Breeders' Cup) 'Win and You're In' at Keeneland (Grade II, Thoroughbred Club of America). I'm not sure yet if I'll run her once before then or not. We'll wait and see but the goal is the Breeders' Cup at the end of the year.”

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