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Dominguez sweeps New York Stallion Stakes on six-win day
"I was very happy he liked the grass," trainer Rudy Rodriguez said. "He ran big for us. I was a little concerned because he usually goes to the lead, but it was good for us that he relaxed and made the winning move. Ramon did a very good job with him, and we got lucky." Dominguez's sixth win came in the 9TH race, the $75,000 NYSS Cupecoy's Joy division, aboard Hessonite, his final mount of the day. Reserved in fourth early, Hessonite was guided off the rail entering the upper turn, ranged up three wide turning for home, and blew by her opponents once put to a drive, finding the wire 3 3/4 lengths to the good of Lady On the Run (Ten Most Wanted). "It could have been seven, but I got beat early on," Dominguez said moments after his Cupecoy's Joy victory. "It really wasn't me. It was the horses. I'm very happy. I didn't know I was only the second rider to win six races (at Belmont Park)." Hessonite, who was cutting back in distance off a triumph in a 1 1/16-mile New York-bred allowance over soft turf at Aqueduct on April 23, completed the Cupecoy's Joy's grassy seven-furlong distance in 1:22 3/5. Trained by David Donk for William J. Punk Jr. and Philip Di Leo, she ran her record to 3-0-0 from six starts and $102,310 in earnings. "Today the concerns were reversed," Donk said. "Today's race was much shorter, with it being over firm ground. She's going to be a pretty useful filly. (Dominguez) said she got to wandering a little bit, but once he hit her one time, she went about her business." Dominguez began his historic day with a victory in the 1ST race, a one-mile optional claimer, aboard favored Saginaw (Peruvian) coming from just off the pace to win by three-quarters of a length. Without a mount in the second, he returned to capture the $60,000 Xtra Heat with BELLAMY STAR (Bellamy Road) by 1 1/4 lengths. The Kinsman Stable homebred, who was making her stakes bow in the seven-furlong test, stopped the clock in 1:21 on the turf and now sports a 4-2-1-0, $59,970 career mark. A front-running, 4 1/2-length score on Little Larky (Forest Wildcat) in the 5TH race followed soon after, and Dominguez extended his victory total to five in the 7TH race with favored Show Trial (Purge), who rallied to win the one-mile claiming race by 1 3/4 lengths. Overall, Dominguez won six races from eight mounts, while Velasquez went six-for-six on June 9, 1981. In the Easy Goer, the 3RD race on the card, Friend Or Foe opened his four-year-old season with a hard-fought head victory. The Mary and Chester Broman Sr. homebred, tracked Rail Trip in third through fractions of :23 1/5, :46 and 1:09 and finished 1 1/16 miles on the fast main track in a swift 1:40 under Alex Solis. Rail Trip, making his first start since a fifth-place finish in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) last October, was 5 1/4 lengths clear of Convocation (Pulpit). "It was a sharp effort by both horses," trainer John Kimmel said. "(Friend Or Foe) kind of ground him down and showed his fitness was up to where I wanted it to be. He sat off the pace and made a good run in racehorse time." Victorious in all three starts against state-breds last year -- including the Mike Lee S. and Empire Classic S., in which he set a stakes record of 1:46.94 for the 1 1/8 miles -- Friend Or Foe also finished fourth in the Jim Dandy S. (G2), sixth in the Travers S. (G1) and fifth in the Cigar Mile (G1). The even-money favorite in the field of four, Friend Or Foe extended his record to 5-0-0 from eight starts had now banked $295,634. According to Kimmel, his next start will like be in the Suburban H. (G2) going nine furlongs on July 2. "Hopefully he cycles back in and will be ready for the Suburban," the conditioner said. "I would prefer that he didn't have to run so hard to win, but I think he'll move forward off the race if he gets enough time. It was a very good race. This is a really good horse, and I hope to have a really good campaign with him." Tahitian Warrior (Maria's Mon) was fourth and New Orleans H. (G2) victor Mission Impazible (Unbridled's Song) was scratched.
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