Saturday, October 30, 2010
BRIBON BRILLIANT AT
By Jon Forbes
ELMONT, N.Y. – Bribon picked up his fifth win from 10 starts at Belmont Park with a stretch-running success in the 35th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Bold Ruler Handicap on Saturday.
Having already won the Grade 3 Westchester and Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap in 2009 and the Grade 2 True North Handicap in 2010 at the Big Sandy, Bribon was reserved in sixth through an opening quarter of 23.13. The 7-year-old gelded son of Mark of Esteem advanced to fifth on the turn, swung to the outside entering the lane, and grabbed the lead approaching the sixteenth pole en route to a 1 ¾-length decision over Jersey Town.
“It seemed like nobody wanted to go to the lead,” said winning jockey John Velazquez. “For him to be that close without me asking him, I knew they were going slow. And that was good because I didn’t have to ask him until the quarter-pole. And sure enough, when I did, he went on. When he took the lead today, he was loping along.”
After Bribon drew post position 1 for the Bold Ruler, trainer Todd Pletcher instructed Velazquez to get the gelding off the rail.
“[Bribon] put himself into the race early, which I think made all the difference,” said Jonathan Thomas, assistant to Pletcher. “Johnny was able to negotiate from the one hole into an outside trip. Going into the race, we planned to maneuver to the outside if it worked out well.”
Bribon, who entered the Bold Ruler off a third in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap on August 8 and a sixth in the Grade 1 Forego on September 4 at Saratoga Race Course, earned $60,000 to boost his bankroll to $1,125,013, returned $6.90 for a $2 wager as the 2-1 second choice, and completed the seven furlongs in 1:22.36.
Owned by Derrick Smith, Bribon is 11-9-4 from 36 races and is expected to make his next start in the Grade 1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile Handicap on November 27 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Half Metal Jacket and 9-5 favorite Tahitian Warrior filled out the superfecta, with Wildcat Brief, Temecula Creek, Jack On the Rocks, and Roaring Lion completing the order of finish.
-30-
