Golden Lad Holds Off Ride On Curlin in Essex

Returning to Oaklawn Park where he secured his first career stakes win, Golden Lad defeated last year's Preakness Stakes (gr. I) runner-up Ride On Curlin in posting a 1 3/4-length victory in the $100,000 Essex Handicap Saturday, Feb. 14 . 

Breaking from the outside in the field of eight older horses, E. Paul Robsham Stables homebred Golden Lad rallied three wide into the stretch. The 4-1 co-second choice in the field of eight snatched the lead at the eighth pole and then opened up a clear advantage late.

In completing the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:44.05 on a fast track, Golden Lad comfortably held off a late move from Daniel Dougherty's Ride On Curlin, who was sent off as the 4-5 favorite in the second start of his 4-year-old season.

Jockey Jon Court, aboard Ride On Curlin, lodged an objection against the winner, alleging interference at the start of the race, but stewards ruled the result stood.



"When we left the gates and he dropped out in front of me, there were three jumps where I had to steady and I was tangled up in his hind legs," said Court. "He cost me a couple of lengths when I needed to get position. I had to overcome that and then then he beats me a length for the win. He just needed to be a little bit clearer coming over in front of horses."

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Golden Lad had not won since taking last year's Razorback Handicap (gr. III) at Oaklawn by nearly seven lengths. The victory by the 5-year-old Medaglia d'Oro   horse Saturday under Ricardo Santana Jr. ended a three-race skid, including a fifth-place finish in his 2015 debut in the Hal's Hope Stakes (gr. III) Jan. 10 at Gulfstream Park. 

"We were disappointed in his first race back," said Pletcher via phone. "He may have been a little fresh off the layoff. We thought coming back here to Oaklawn would be a good idea."

Golden Lad, out of the stakes-winning Seeking the Gold mare Broadway Gold, secured his second stakes win while improving his career mark to 6-2-0 from 12 career starts and earnings of $327,420.

Golden Lad returned $10 to win, $4 to place, and $3.40 to show, while Ride On Curlin paid $2.80 and $2.40. I Got It All, off at 20-1, finished one length farther back in third and paid $6.40 to show.  For Greater Glory, Rocket Time, Code West, Luv Bandit, and Joy Boy completed the order.

Rocket Time was able to dictate the pace before weakening coming into the stretch, carving quarter-mile fractions of :23.5, :47.70, and 1:12.89.