Sunday, June 24, 2012
WILLY BEAMIN PREVAILS ON THIS GIVEN SUNDAY IN MIKE LEE; BEAUTIFUL BUT BLUE TAKES BOUWERIE
By Jon Forbes
ELMONT, N.Y. – Both stakes for New York-bred 3-year-olds on Sunday at Belmont Park were marked by mild upsets with Willy Beamin running past Brigand in the stretch of the $125,000 Mike Lee and Beautiful But Blue regaining winning form in the $125,000 Bouwerie for fillies.
Willy Beamin was quickest from the gate in the Mike Lee but dropped back to settle in fifth as 1-2 favorite Brigand set opening fractions of 22.90 and 45.91 seconds. Kept inside along the far turn, Willy Beamin raced into third nearing the top of the stretch, angled outside once straightened away, and blew past the beleaguered pacesetter nearing the sixteenth pole en route to a four-length victory.
Backed as the 5-2 second choice, Willy Beamin paid $7.00 for a $2 win wager and completed seven furlongs in 1:22.44.
“It went as the paper read – if they came back to me, I had a chance,” said winning jockey Mike Luzzi. “I had a lot of horse turning for home.”
The Mike Lee marked the fourth straight win for Willy Beamin, who was claimed by his current connections, trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. and owner James A. Riccio, out of an easy score on the Aqueduct main track March 23. After the claim, the gelded son of Suave won a pair of state-bred races at
“It’s turned out to be a good claim, and I don’t think we’re done yet, either,” said Dutrow. “When you claim one for $25,000 you hope to be able to win for $25,000, especially nowadays with the way the money is. He’s been very good to us so far.”
Although Willy Beamin was soundly beaten in a pair of two-turn races on Aqueduct’s inner track earlier in his career, Dutrow believes the gelding deserves another chance to tackle the challenge.
“We’re going to find out if he can win [going to two turns] as his next start will be at Finger Lakes [in the New York Derby on July 21],” said Dutrow. “I didn’t see any reason why he can’t. He won going a mile [around one turn on the main track] at Aqueduct. Maybe he didn’t like the inner track [when he was off the board in two starts].”
Overall, Willy Beamin is 5-0-0 in nine starts. The $75,000 winner’s share of the Mike Lee purse pushed his career earnings to $219,545.
Night Maneuver was third, followed home by Quiet Favorite; The Prize Fighter; Willy Beamin’s stablemate, Swag Daddy, and Even Got Quiet.
In the Bouwerie, Beautiful But Blue was away in third and began to reel in the 3-5 pacesetter Sacred Success as the field entered the far turn. Beautiful But Blue drew to Sacred Success’ throatlatch with three furlongs to travel, took command when the favorite capitulated a furlong later, and was kept to task in the lane by jockey Junior Alvarado as she drew away to a 3 3/4-length victory over Fiftyfour Forever.
The final time for seven furlongs was 1:23.72 with Beautiful But Blue, who was part of a 5-1 coupled entry, paying $12.60.
“A lot depended on the break; there was a lot of speed in the race,” said Alvarado. “When they opened the gate, she broke well and I got a clear spot outside where she was comfortable. She did everything pretty much by herself. She pulled me the whole way. When we turned for home and I asked her, she responded right away.”
Beautiful But Blue won three straight on dirt beginning in November prior to her fifth-place finish in the Thirty Flags overnight stakes on turf at
“She really does have speed, so she’s a little dangerous,” said Tom Bush, who trains Beautiful But Blue for her breeders,
The El Corredor filly is 4-0-0 in eight starts and has earned $183,550.
Harbor Mist completed the trifecta, followed home by Mischief Maker, Sacred Success, Lemon Splendor, and Beautiful But Blue’s entrymate Newbie.
-30-
