Effinex pulls shocker on Empire Showcase Day

Effinex pulled off the upset by a neck for his first stakes victory in the Empire Classic on Empire Showcase Day at Belmont (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) There were eight stakes races for New York-breds at Belmont Park on Saturday that highlighted Empire Showcase Day. Tri-Bone Stables' Effinex pulled off a stunner by a neck for his first stakes victory as the longest shot on the board at 17-1 odds in the $300,000 Empire Classic Handicap. The James Jerkins charge paid $37.20 to his backers for the upset in the 1 1/8-mile test over the fast main track. "Today he ran with (Twinspires.com Wood Memorial winner) Wicked Strong's blinkers, the same little black ones (Punkin Pie winner) Classic Point wore," Jerkins said. "Since I've gotten him, he's gotten stronger. He ran very well in Saratoga. We didn't have a lot of time to get him ready. We threw a lot of work at him and he handled it and ran very well (second in the Albany)." The three-year-old colt settled on the inside in midpack and reeled in the pacesetter in the final yards.

"I think I had a good trip," jockey Angel Arroyo said. "I followed (So

Lonesome) all the way. I stayed on the rail and waited for the stretch, and at

the eighth pole I took him outside. My horse, he responded. (The blinkers) made

a big difference today. He liked the blinkers; that's why he ran better. He was

better at the finish. He ran great."

Effinex crossed the wire in 1:48 2/5 while wearing blinkers for the first

time.

"His last race was a little bit of a disappointment," Jerkins added. "I think

it had more to do with the track, when you couldn't gain on anyone and horses

got discouraged coming from behind. But he's done everything right since then

and we figured we'd take a shot. We figured the extra eighth of a mile wouldn't

hurt, either."

The dark bay was coming off a well-beaten third in an optional claiming race

over the track on September 28. The son of Mineshaft captured $180,000 to

increase his lifetime earnings to $328,350 from a career line of 10-3-1-2.

Princess Violet captured her first stakes in the Empire Distaff Stakes (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) In the companion race for fillies and mares, Barry K. Schwartz's homebred Princess Violet was much the best as the 6-5 favorite in taking down her first stakes in the $250,000 Empire Distaff Stakes. "It was sweet," trainer Michael Hushion said. "She relaxed better than ever and when (jockey Jose Ortiz) stepped on the gas, she came on. It was perfect; pretty simple. We didn't really want her on the lead because we were afraid someone would take premature runs at her, so we were glad to have targets. (Ortiz) said she felt better than ever. After today, (two turns) are certainly not out of the question." The three-year-old filly settled in midpack before mounting a charge around the far turn. She went four wide heading for home, took control at the top of the stretch and pulled away under a hand ride to win by 5 1/2 lengths.

"She won two weeks ago and I think that race set it up for her perfectly,"

Ortiz said. "Mike did a good job with her. She broke good, and I was wondering

what the 1a (Carameaway) was going to do. Then I saw (Sunny Desert), and I knew

I was in perfect position. I waited as long as I could, and when I made my move,

I had a lot of horse. Today, everything set up perfect."

The daughter of Officer stopped the teletimer in 1:43 4/5 for the 1 1/16-mile

test over the fast main track.

Princess Violet was entering in here off a four-length victory over the track

against allowance company earlier this month. The bay has a record that stands

at 7-4-2-0, $332,810.

In the next to last stakes race on the card, Patricia A. Generazio's homebred

Discreet Marq dropped in class to secure her sixth stakes score as the 4-5

public's choice in the $200,000

Ticonderoga Stakes.

The four-year-old filly was entering in here off a sixth-place finish in the

Grade 1 First Lady on the Keeneland turf course earlier this month.

"There's a saying, 'There's nothing like the drop,' and I guess this confirms

it," trainer Christophe Clement stated. "She's been running in Grade 1's all

along and this was an easy race, and she won it very nicely. She's never run a

bad race. She's a lovely mare."

The gray reeled in the leader in the stretch and drew away in the end to win

by three lengths. Discreet Marq stopped the teletimer in 1:44 1/5 for the 1

1/16-mile test over the good turf.

"She's such a nice filly," jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.said. "She broke well, I sat

and waited, and when I asked her, she took off. There weren't any surprises."

The daughter of Discreet Cat banked $120,000 for the win to put her over the

$1 million mark. She now has a bankroll of $1,067,900 from a 19-7-5-3 career

line.

In the last race on the card, Albert Fried Jr.'s homebred Moonlight Song went

gate-to-wire in the $150,000

Hudson

Stakes, a race he finished runner-up in last year.

"He's a nice horse. He's got a lot of speed," trainer Charlton Baker said.

"We rated him a little last time because he runs at horses pretty good. Today,

he broke sharp and nobody seemed like they wanted the lead. He's the best horse

I have in the barn. He was second in this race last year to Palace; he came back

and beat Palace in January. Palace is going to the Breeders' Cup, so you know

he's been keeping good company."

The son of Unbridled's Song crossed the wire in 1:15 2/5 going 6 1/2 furlongs

on the main track. Sent off as the 5-1 fourth choice on the board, the

seven-year-old gelding paid his supporters $12.60 for his second career stakes

victory.

"He broke sharp and I was thinking it looked like, on paper, there were a

couple of horses with speed like my horse," jockey Joel Rosario stated. "I was

thinking if a couple of them go, I'll just let him settle behind but he broke

sharp and I just let him go on and he took it all the way. Every time a horse

came to him he kept on going. He was game the whole way."

The dark bay was exiting a fifth-place finish in the John Morrissey Stakes at

Saratoga in August. He has a career line which reads 16-7-2-1, $414,294.

In the 5TH race on the card, Lady Sheila Stable's La Verdad dropped out of

graded company to take the field gate-to-wire in the $150,000

Iroquois Stakes as the 3-5 favorite.

The four-year-old daughter of Yes It's True was exiting a head loss in the

Grade 2 Gallant Bloom Handicap over this track last month.

"She obviously likes Belmont and it's nice to get her back in the winner's

circle," trainer Linda Rice stated. "At Saratoga, she had bled a little bit in

the Honorable Miss, and I had to back off on her training and she got a little

heavy on me. When I ran her seven-eighths in the Ballerina, she really didn't

want to go seven furlongs and she certainly didn't want to do it when she was

heavy. The plan today was to go to the lead, hopefully not in :43; the :45

helped. I'm not sure what's next. I had no absolute plans other than to get

through today's race and then sort it out based on her performance."

With Jose Ortiz in the irons, the bay went 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17 for

the 1 1/4-length win. La Verdad earned $90,000 for her fifth stakes score to increase

her bank account to $777,700.

Earlier on the card, Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch's Kharafa redeemed

himself this time around by winning the $200,000

Mohawk

Stakes, a race he ran 10th in last year.

"If Khara gets in tight, and they slow the pace down, he gets really rank,"

Trainer Timothy Hills said. "So, (jockey) Angel's job was to hustle him out of

there (No. 1 post) and get in the clear, so that when King Kreesa took the lead,

he could get out around him He did that with perfection. It went according to

script. Every once in a while that happens. We'll run him to the end of the turf

season, and bring him back next year."

The five-year-old gelding had a three-length lead in the stretch and held off

in the end score by 1 1/4 lengths for his fourth stakes victory.

The son of Kitalpha traveled about 1 1/16 miles over the good inner turf in

1:45. King Kressa, the even-money favorite and winner of the 2013 Mohawk Stakes

took third.

Kharafa was coming off a third-place finish in the Ashley T. Cole Stakes here

on September 14. The bay has a career mark of 25-8-7-4 and $653,497 in lifetime

earnings.

In the first stakes race on the card, Eric Fein's homebred Ostrolenka stepped

up off his 14-length maiden romp over the track to capture the $250,000

Sleepy Hollow Stakes for two-year-olds as the 3-5 favorite.

The Todd Pletcher charge's 2 1/2-length victory gave his sire, Musket Man his

first stakes winner. Musket Man captured the Grade 2 Illinois Derby, ran third

in the 2009 Kentucky Derby and had $1,236,820 in lifetime earnings.

"I was getting in tight early on, but once I got a spot inside the

five-eighths pole I was comfortable," jockey John Velazquez said. "He got into

the bridle and was (going) pretty good. I saw someone moving at the

three-eighths pole -- I didn't know who it was -- and I said, 'You know what?

Let him go now.' He'll go further; he seems like the kind that wants to run all

day."

Ostrolemka covered one mile in 1:38 1/5 over the main track. The bay colt

banked $150,000 for his first stakes score to boost his bankroll to $186,292

from a 3-2-0-0 line.

In the companion race for two-year-old fillies, Marc Keller's Quezon overcame

a hard bump at the start to win the $250,000

Maid of the Mist Stakes and remain undefeated from two starts.

The chestnut drew clear in the final furlong to prevail by six lengths, going

one mile over the main track in 1:38 1/5 with Manuel Franco up.

"I had my doubts about doing this because she had come off the one race going

three-quarters," trainer Bobby Ribaudo said. "You're coming back in a month,

which is good timing, but you're going to a mile. You're going into a stake.

Common sense says you shouldn't be doing this, but how many times can you run

for a quarter of a million dollars with a New York-bred two-year-old filly? She

was doing good, so we went. I was surprised we outran the favorite (Temper Mint

Patty) so easily."

The daughter of Tiz Wonderful scored in her racing bow over a muddy Belmont

track by six lengths last month. Quezon grabbed $150,000 in her stakes debut to

increase her bank account to $193,200.

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