Saturday, September 17, 2010
LUBASH LEADS THE WAY IN FIFTH MARINE
By Jon Forbes
ELMONT, N.Y. – Lubash earned his first open stakes victory with a 35-1 upset in the $60,000 Fifth Marine for 3-year-olds on the turf on Friday at Belmont Park.
Entering today’s race off a 1 ¼-length triumph in the restricted New York Stallion Stakes Cab Calloway Division, Lubash quickly grabbed the lead and was shadowed by favored Nordic Truce through fractions of 24.87 and 49.93. The long shot opened on his rivals nearing the top of the stretch and maintained a safe advantage in the lane as runner-up Lighthouse Sound gave vain chase to finish second, 1 ¾ lengths behind the winner.
“The horse loved running on the front and he loved that he got the chance to run on the front right away,” said winning jockey Jose Lezcano. “My confidence was high because he was comfortable all the way around.”
Lubash returned $72.50 for a $2 win wager and headed an exacta that paid $379.50 for a $2 investment. Owned and bred by Aliyu Ben J. Stables, the son of Freud traveled one mile in 1:38.32 over a Widener Turf Course that was listed as “good.”
Prior to his Cab Calloway victory, Lubash made three starts on the turf at Belmont in the spring, winning a New York-bred allowance on May 22 and finishing fourth and third and in a pair of starter allowance races respectively held on June 26 and July 17, and trainer James Ryerson believes his colt is just now entering his best form.
“He had a little pressure in the
The Fifth Marine triumph was worth $36,000 to the connections of Lubash, who has earned $137,444 to date and has posted a record of 4-0-1 from eight starts.
Asphalt capped a $2,403 trifecta in the Fifth Marine, with Raging Wit, Aikenite, Nordic Truce, Best Actor, and Radiohead completing the order of finish.
-30-
