Ticket gets Golden set-up in Left Bank

Magic City Thoroughbred Partners' Golden Ticket capitalized on a testing pace

scenario to rally from last in Friday's $98,000

Left

Bank, the feature on opening day of

Belmont Park's fall

championship meet. Patiently handled by Joel Rosario, the 5-2 second choice wore

down 7-5 favorite Pants on Fire and pacesetter Integrity in deep stretch and

thereby snapped a losing streak dating back to last summer.

Golden Ticket is best known for his historic dead-heat with Alpha in the 2012

Travers, and both winners of that "Midsummer Derby" renewed rivalry in the Left

Bank. Each was also coming off disappointing efforts at the Spa. Alpha was a

tired third off a six-month layoff in the August 17 Alydar, and Golden Ticket

trailed home last in the August 2 Whitney. While Alpha failed to improve in this

second start back, Golden Ticket rebounded to deliver one of his best

performances for trainer Ken McPeek.

Integrity zipped to the front and rattled off splits of :23, :45 2/5 and 1:09

3/5 on the fast track. Pants on Fire was poised to pounce right off his flank,

with Alpha parked in a ground-saving third and Stormin Monarcho also chasing.

Golden Ticket, allowed to drop well off the pace, raced in an isolated last

early, but began to erase the deficit markedly rounding the far turn. As

Integrity knuckled in down the stretch and gamely tried to fend off Pants on

Fire, Golden Ticket loomed ever more menacingly wider out. Staying on best of

all in the final strides, the five-year-old son of Speightstown forced his neck

in front in a final time of 1:35 for the mile.

"Last time (in the Whitney) I think we made a mistake trying to chase

(front-running winner) Moreno," McPeek said. "I was a little worried that he was

too far back (here), but (Rosario) knows the horse, and every time he has ridden

him he has run really well."

Rosario was confident that he had found the key to Golden Ticket, whom he

last rode to a second-place finish in the May 2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs.

"(McPeek) asked me, 'You want instructions?' I said, 'No, I rode him before.

I don't need instructions,'" Rosario recounted. "I thought there was a little

bit of speed. He broke well; I let him come with a big run, because that's the

way he likes to run. I was very happy with his performance."

Pants on Fire nosed out Integrity on the wire, and Stormin Monarcho was

another three-quarters of a length away in fourth. Alpha retreated to last, a

further 6 3/4 lengths adrift. Pass the Dice was scratched.

Golden Ticket paid $7.30 to win after notching his first victory since the

Prairie Meadows Handicap in July 2013. Since then, he has turned in some useful

efforts, including a second to Goldencents in last November's Breeders' Cup Dirt

Mile; a near-miss to Palace Malice in the March 8 Gulfstream Park Handicap; and

another close runner-up performance to Moonshine Mullin in the aforementioned

Alysheba. His resume now reads 28-6-8-3, $1,329,090, which also reflects

placings in the 2012 Tampa Bay Derby and Pennsylvania Derby as well as the 2013

Mineshaft and Stephen Foster Handicaps.

"A Speightstown colt out of a Deputy Minister mare -- I think (one mile) is

his best distance," McPeek offered. "It's tricky -- it's hard to find. We

actually had the choice of running in the Ack Ack Handicap tomorrow at Churchill

or here (in the Left Bank). Being that this a restricted race (for horses who

have not won a graded stakes in 2014), we thought it'd be a bit easier, but

there were bears in here."

"This horse -- this was his 28th start -- he's just hickory. Next start will

be the Breeders' Cup (Dirt) Mile (at Santa Anita), and then I think we'll call

it a career."

Bred by WinStar Farm

in Kentucky, Golden Ticket was sold for $100,000 as a two-year-old in training

at Keeneland April.

He is out of Business Plan, herself a full sister to multiple Emirates

stakes-placed Dubai World. The mare's half-siblings include stakes scorer Grand

Royale and the unraced Magical Mood, dam of Grade 2 vixen Magical Feeling. This

is the productive family of Irish highweight Tomahawk and Grade 1 star Well

Chosen, who is responsible for two-time Sword Dancer Invitational hero Telling.

With Deputy Minister as his broodmare sire, Golden Ticket has a prominent

genetic link with the race's namesake. Left Bank, the ill-fated champion older

male of 2002, was by the Deputy Minister stallion French Deputy.

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