Social Paranoia Rallies to Poker Score
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand
Social Paranoia wins the Poker Stakes at Belmont Park
The Elkstone Group's Social Paranoia closed from out of the clouds July 4 to capture the $150,000 Poker Stakes (G3T), a one-mile turf test for older horses at Belmont Park.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, the 4-year-old Street Boss colt turned back in distance following an off-the-board effort in the nine-furlong Fort Marcy Stakes (G2T) June 6 at Belmont.
Jockey Jose Ortiz guided Social Paranoia to victory in the Sept. 8 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs to close out the colt's 3-year-old season and was reunited with the versatile dark bay Saturday. They raced a distanced seventh as Dream Friend set splits of :24.50 and :49.28 on the firm turf.
Multiple grade 1-winning mare Got Stormy and Hall of Famer John Velazquez tracked from second position with Valid Point to the inside. Got Stormy took aim at the pacesetter into the turn with Seismic Wave and Value Proposition, the 5-2 favorite under Irad Ortiz, Jr., launching their bids.
Social Paranoia was tipped out wide for the stretch run by Ortiz and quickly circled the pack with Hawkish and jockey Manny Franco trying an inside charge at the leaders. The eventual winner took command while Hawkish, full of run, failed to find a hole outside a fading Got Stormy and inside a lugging-in Value Proposition.
Social Paranoia, in the clear, found the wire first by one length in a final time of 1:36.30.
Seismic Wave completed the exacta by 1 3/4 lengths over Value Proposition, who was a half-length in front of Got Stormy. Rounding out the order of finish were Dream Friend and Hawkish, who dead-heated for fifth, followed by Eons and Valid Point. Main-track only entrant Its All Relevant was scratched.
A stewards inquiry and jockey's objection by Franco against Ortiz, Jr. into the incident just inside the sixteenth pole was denied.
Pletcher said the turnback in distance suited Social Paranoia despite being further back than desired in the early running.
"I thought we were a tick further back than I thought we would be and they were going a tick slower than I had hoped," said Pletcher, who captured the 2014 Poker with Jack Milton . "I thought we made a mistake last time in trying to use him a little bit early on to get into position from the outside post going a mile and an eighth. He showed us in his first start back at Gulfstream (winning the March 28 Appleton Stakes, G3T) that he just wants to settle and make one run. Jose executed the plan very well and it was a good performance."
Ortiz said he felt comfortable throughout and that he played his hand perfectly.
"It was a good trip. I knew they were going slow but he was very relaxed. When we made our move, I had to go wide because they were going so slow," said Ortiz, who previously won the Poker with King Kreesa (2015) and Oscar Performance (2018). "I knew everyone was going to have a really good run to the end but when I passed the eighth pole, he was going really nice. He put his head down and rolled home."
Social Paranoia finished second in the 2019 Belmont Derby Invitational (G1T) over 1 1/4 miles to kick off the Turf Triple series and was an even fourth in the Saratoga Derby Invitational, second leg of the Turf Triple, before winning the Dueling Grounds Derby at 1 5/16 miles in a productive sophomore campaign.
He made the grade in his seasonal debut with a rousing last-to-first charge in the Appleton, and was third in the Sunshine Forever Stakes at the Florida oval ahead of the Fort Marcy.
A $75,000 purchase by The Elkstone Group from Brookdale Sales' consignment to the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Select Kentucky Yearling Sale, Social Paranoia is out of the Deputy Minister mare Shutterbug. Bred in Kentucky by Mineola Farm II and Silent Grove Farm, he improved his record to 4-4-5 from 15 starts, with earnings of $929,710. He paid $11.80 for a $2 win ticket.