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Nobiz puts on a show in Jamaica Elizabeth J. Valando's homebred NOBIZ LIKE SHOBIZ (Albert the Great) continued his sparkling spree on the turf with a four-length romp in Saturday's $300,000 Jamaica H. (G2) at Belmont Park. The Barclay Tagg charge reeled off 1 1/8 miles on the firm inner turf in 1:46 4/5 to remain unbeaten from three starts on the sod. "It certainly looked like his best race ever," Tagg said, adding that the November 25 Hollywood Derby (G1) would be next on his agenda. "If he can do what he did today, he'll get a mile and a quarter easy." Javier Castellano bided his time in midpack aboard Nobiz Like Shobiz as War Monger (War Chant) carved out splits of :23 4/5, :48 1/5 and 1:11 2/5. Red Giant (Giant's Causeway) was the first to accost the pacesetter at the head of the stretch, but Nobiz Like Shobiz was just getting warmed up on the outside. In a matter of strides, the 9-5 favorite inhaled Red Giant and War Monger and rapidly opened up on the field, rewarding his many supporters with mutuels of $5.90, $3.20 and $2.40. "Most people thought I was going to go to the lead, but I didn't want to," Castellano revealed. "He might have to go to the Hollywood race at a mile and a quarter, so I wanted to get him to rate. Today, it worked out perfect. He relaxed and got covered up. He just settled beautiful, and heading for home, I just had so much horse. I really liked the way he finished. Sometimes he waits or plays around, but today, he put horses away." "We've always wanted to take him back, but I've always been afraid to," Tagg admitted. "Javier has beautiful hands, and if anyone can take him back, he can. He dropped his head and he was relaxed as can be." Red Giant salvaged second by a head from the late-rallying Pays to Dream (High Yield). The 3-1 runner-up returned $3.70 and $3.10, while the nearly 21-1 third-placer paid $5.40. The exotics totaled $19 (exacta), $145 (trifecta) and $507 (2-8-9-3 superfecta) with the 7-2 War Monger in fourth. Shamdinan (Fr) (Dr Fong) crossed the wire in fifth, followed by Senor Enrico (El Prado [Ire]), Adagio (GB) (Grand Lodge), Blazing Dynamo (Dynaformer) and Ambassador (Ger) (Acatenango). Nobiz Like Shobiz improved his lifetime mark to 11-7-2-1 with $1,410,600 to his credit. As a juvenile, he finished second in the Champagne S. (G1) in his second career start, then rolled to a 6 1/2-length score in the Remsen S. (G2) and was promptly heralded as a major Kentucky Derby (G1) candidate. Although Nobiz Like Shobiz added the Holy Bull S. (G3) and Wood Memorial S. (G1) to his resume, he did so in workmanlike rather than spectacular fashion. After winding up 10th in the Run for the Roses, he enjoyed a nearly two-month vacation. Nobiz Like Shobiz returned in the Dwyer S. (G2) to check in second, while no match for the runaway winner, Any Given Saturday (Distorted Humor), and was then switched to the grass. Since then, he has captured the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. (G2) and Kent Breeders' Cup S. (G3). The Kentucky-bred is the fourth registered foal out of the winning Nightstorm (Storm Cat), and has an unnamed two-year-old half-sister by Changeintheweather, as well as an unnamed yearling half-brother by Broken Vow and a weanling half-sister by Eurosilver. Hailing from the family of Grade 1-winning sire Cormorant (His Majesty), 1973 Kentucky Oaks (G2) queen Bag of Tunes (*Herbager) and Grade 2 victress Swingtime (Buckpasser), Nobiz Like Shobiz is inbred 5 X 4 to the influential producer Swoon's Tune (Swoon's Son).
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