The Day Belongs to Long Weekend in Bachelor Stakes
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Photo: Coady Photography
Long Weekend (inside) wins the Bachelor Stakes at Oaklawn Park
Trainer Tom Amoss knew Long Weekend had the kind of blazing speed that allows him to quickly grab the lead and then run away from his rivals.
He found out in the $100,000 Bachelor Stakes on April 25 that the 3-year-old son of Majesticperfection can also be a tenacious fighter in the final furlong.
After taking his customary spot on the front end, Long Weekend found himself locked in a furious stretch duel in the six-furlong listed stakes.
Echo Town, who pressed the pace throughout, seemed poised to move past the leader at any moment. Instead, it turned out to be a long day for him.
Hugging the rail under jockey Joe Talamo, BCWT Limited's Long Weekend dug down and held off Echo Town to prevail by a head in the sprint stakes for 3-year-olds at Oaklawn Park.
"He broke super sharp, and he showed what good horses show down the lane: a lot of guts, a lot of courage," Amoss said. "I was very proud of him."
The victory was the fourth in five starts for Long Weekend, who was coming off a gate-to-wire 4 3/4-length score in the March 21 Gazebo Stakes at Oaklawn. The manner of victory in his previous start was pretty much standard operating procedure for Long Weekend in his other wins, where he checked in ahead by 6 3/4 and five lengths.
In his lone loss, the $225,000 2-year-old buy tired after battling for the early lead in last year's Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) and wound up sixth in his second career start.
Long Weekend was pushed by L & N Racing's Echo Town and grade 1 winner Eight Rings through an opening quarter-mile in :21.82 and held a half-length lead over Echo Town, with Eight Rings another half-length back in third.
Eight Rings, trained by Bob Baffert, was sent off the 4-5 favorite in his first start since a disappointing sixth-place finish as the 3-2 second choice in the Nov. 1 TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). The son of Empire Maker owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Fred Hertrich III, John Fielding, Golconda Stables, and Coolmore Stud was battling three wide alongside Long Weekend and Echo Town at the quarter pole but then faded in the stretch to finish fifth in the field of six, a little more than seven lengths behind.
That left it to Long Weekend and Echo Town to stage a match race in the stretch, with the two rivals noses apart before Long Weekend's previously untapped grit came to the fore in the final strides, and he hit the wire narrowly ahead.
"A lot of credit goes to Joe Talamo," Amoss said. "He's a strong finisher, and he did a great job of encouraging him."
Clocked in 1:09.63, Long Weekend paid $6.20 as the 2-1 second choice while becoming the first stakes winner for his dam, the Olmodavor mare Liza Too.
Echo Town, a son of Speightstown trained by Steve Asmussen making his stakes debut, was five lengths ahead of third-place finisher Lykan, a son of Congrats owned by Muddy Waters Stables and Ingrid Mason and trained by Mason.
Owned by Barbara Webber, David Webber, and William Webber III, Long Weekend was purchased by Lauren Carlisle, agent, from the Woodford Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
With racetracks in Kentucky and New York closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Amoss said he'll send Long Weekend to Churchill Downs once the Louisville track opens.