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Vyjack proves best in Kelso

Owner David Wilkenfield said Vyjack would most likely skip the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and point toward the Nov. 29 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct  (Adam Coglianese Photo) Pick Six Racing's Vyjack wore down pacesetter River Rocks in deep stretch and edged away to a one-length win in Saturday's Grade 2, $400,000 Kelso H. at Belmont Park. Trained by Rudy Rodriguez and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., the four-year-old gelding registered his first stakes victory since taking the Gotham in March 2013. Vyjack left the starting gate in good order and stalked a few lengths back in fourth as River Rocks established splits in :23 2/5 and :45 3/5 Itsmyluckyday and Bradester were also in close attendance, applying pressure to the outside of the pacesetter. Both Rodriguez and Ortiz credited a favorable start for the win. "When he broke well, he had a good chance," the jockey said. "In his last couple of races he was missing the start. It's hard to miss the start and beat those horses. You have to break good."

"Today, the key was coming out of the gate," the trainer added. "Today, he broke good. I was very pleased with the way he was working in the morning, and I was happy to see him win because he'd been training very, very well in the mornings.

"Today, he broke well, put himself in a very good position and the pace was good for us."

Vyjack advanced four wide into contention on the far turn and was poised to challenge entering the stretch drive. River Rocks gamely fought on, passing the three-quarters mark in 1:09 as Itsmyluckyday and Bradester weakened, but he could not withstand Vyjack's challenge in the final furlong.

Unplaced in his first three starts at Belmont, Vyjack recorded his first victory outside of Aqueduct (Chelsea Durand/Adam Coglianese Photography) Ortiz kept his mount well off the rail as Vyjack drove clear in the latter stages, completing the one-mile distance in 1:34 on the fast track. "I brought him outside because I knew he likes to come around," Ortiz said. "I tried to do what's best for the horse." Off as the 9-1 fifth choice, Vyjack returned a win mutuel of $21.20. River Rocks easily held second, 2 1/2 lengths better than 3-5 favorite Itsmyluckyday, who edged Scarly Charly by a nose for third. Next under the wire came Capo Bastone, Golden Ticket and Bradester. A son of Into Mischief, Vyjack returned from a nine-length layoff in late April, recording an allowance/optional claiming score at Aqueduct, but dropped his next four attempts versus stakes rivals, posting three consecutive unplaced finishes before a rallying third in the Grade 1 Forego on August 30. With the $240,000 Kelso paycheck, he improved his overall record to 14-6-0-2, $902,500.

"He did what we wanted him to do all along; he's a nice horse," Rodriguez said. "To see him get beat was kind of hard, but he was running against some nice horses."

Vyjack won his first two career starts at Aqueduct in late 2012, capturing a maiden special weight before a 5 3/4-length tally in the Trask World, and carried his winning ways into his three-year-old season with victories in the Grade 2 Jerome and Grade 3 Gotham. He sustained his first setback with a third in the Wood Memorial, beaten only a length by the winning Verazano.

The bay wasn't a factor in his next three outings versus top-class competition, finishing 18th in the Kentucky Derby, eighth in the Belmont Stakes and sixth in the Haskell Invitational before heading to the sidelines for the remainder of 2014.

He's back on the right track for Rodriguez.

"To see him show up today was very, very special," Rodriguez said.

Bred in Kentucky Machmer Hall, Vyjack brought $45,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling before being purchased by his connections for $100,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Maryland May two-year-old sale.

He's out of the unraced Stravinsky mare Life Happened, which make him a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Tepin and Grade 2-placed Prime Cut, both by Bernstein. Life Happened is a half-sister to multiple Grade 3 hero and sire Disco Rico.

The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on November 1 is an option for Vyjack, but owner David Wilkenfield said they would likely bypass traveling to Santa Anita.

"Our main goal had been the Cigar Mile (at Aqueduct on November 29)," Rodriguez said.

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