Majestic late run nets Warrior Hopeful

Majestic Warrior (left) blasts past a leg-weary Ready's Image in the Hopeful (Debra Kral/Horsephotos.com)

Utilizing a dramatic late rally, Kinsman Stable's MAJESTIC WARRIOR (A.P.

Indy) caught 3-5 favorite Ready's Image (More Than Ready) in deep stretch and

won Monday's $237,500

Hopeful S. (G1) going away by 2 1/4 lengths. Making his

stakes debut for leading trainer Bill Mott, the homebred juvenile colt improved

to two-for-two in his career when capturing the closing day feature at Saratoga.

He finished seven furlongs over the fast track in 1:23 with Garrett Gomez.

Maimonides (Vindication) quickly sprinted to the front when the gates opened

and established early splits in :22 3/5 and :45 as Majestic Warrior rated in

last in the four-horse field, at least 10 lengths back of the pacesetter.

Ready's Image enjoyed a perfect trip stalking the pace in second, advanced to

challenge on the far turn, and seized command leaving the quarter-pole, with

Majestic Warrior still far back with plenty to do at this point. The eventual

winner drifted four wide into the stretch, but there was no indication he could

catch Ready's Image, who reached the furlong pole in 1:09 2/5 with a 5

1/2-length advantage over Majestic Warrior in third.

The landscape suddenly changed when Majestic Warrior found another gear and

closed like a freight train in the final eighth of a mile.

"Leaving the half-mile pole, I thought they had gotten away from our horse,"

Mott said. "At that point, I was wondering if he would be able to make up that

kind of ground. He put in a tremendous run, and he has to be a good horse to

make up that kind of ground. He was 10 (lengths) out of it when they turned for

home, and he rolled by them."

Overlooked as the 6-1 third choice, Majestic Warrior returned $15 and $3.50.

Sanford S. (G2) winner Ready's Image easily held second, 3 1/4 lengths better

than Maimonides, and gave back $2.10. There was no show betting. The 1-4 exacta

yielded $31.60. Maimonides, the 8-5 second choice in his second career start,

wound up 7 1/2 lengths clear of Georgetown (Storm Cat) in fourth.