Blofeld remains perfect in Nashua

Blofeld remains perfect in Nashua

Glencrest Farm LLC and JSM Equine's Blofeld had no issue stretching out to

one mile as he captured Sunday's Grade 2, $250,000 Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct by

five lengths and is now undefeated from threes starts.

The son of Quality Road won his racing bow by a length going five furlongs,

despite racing greenly down the stretch, at Saratoga on August 22. He followed

up that effort with a hard-fought victory in the six-furlong Futurity the

following month in his stakes debut and received a 100 BRIS Speed rating.

Blofeld grabbed $150,000 for his second graded stakes win in a row to increase

his bank account to $319,800.

"We've always felt like he would continue to stretch out," trainer Todd

Pletcher said. "With the way everything unfolded -- starting out in a five

furlong race -- we felt the (six-furlong) Futurity made sense, and then (the

one-mile Nashua) made sense. The bottom side of his pedigree, and being by

Quality Road, everything suggests he should stretch out.

"We talked about running here and then giving him a little bit of break;

we've also talked about coming back in the (Grade 2) Remsen (1 1/8 miles,

November 29). I didn't see anything today -- at least from a distance standpoint

-- that would discourage me from looking at the Remsen."

Blofeld sat in second, a good four lengths off the lead as El Kabeir put some

distance between him and the field early on and posted opening fractions of :23:

2/5 and :46 4/5. Blofeld started to cut into that lead around the far turn and

was within a half-length at the six furlong mark, which was run in 1:12 4/5.

Blofeld drew even with the pacesetter turning for home and blew by him at the

top of the stretch. The gray colt kicked clear and crossed the wire under a hand

ride from jockey John Velazquez.

Blofeld stopped the teletimer in 1:38 4/5 for the one mile test over the

muddy track as the 4-5 favorite and paid $3.90 for the win.  

"So far, he's done everything really good, even from his first start in

Saratoga," Velazquez said. "We thought he was going to be very quick from the

gate but it actually turned out much better as it takes a little bit to get him

going. You just sit with him until he gets going. He's done it every single

time. He's done everything asked of him."

El Kabeir settled for second and was 5 1/2 lengths clear of third-place

finisher The Truth or Else, who got up by a neck over First Down in Fifth. Savoy

Stop took sixth and Hebbronville was eased up.

Bred in Kentucky by Keats Grove Farm, Blofeld is out of the Storm Cat mare

Storm Minstrel. His Grandam is Grade 2 winner Colonial Minstrel and the gray's

third dam is Irish champion Minstrella. His female family also includes Grade 2

victor A Little Warm as well as Grade 3 winners Minidar and Pleasant Strike.

Blofeld sold as a weanling for $135,000 at the Keeneland November sale and

was re-sold as a yearling for $275,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected

Yearlings Sale. The gray returned to the sales ring as a two-year-old in

training and brought $225,000 at the Fasig-Tipton The Florida Sale.

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