Bodhisattva Gets Classic Credential in Tesio

Bodhisattva shook off a determined challenger with a powerful late surge and won the $100,000 Federico Tesio Stakes for 3-year-olds at April 18 Pimlico Race Course , possibly earning consideration for the Preakness (gr. I) next month.

 

Bodhisattva dispatched lightly raced All Hands for the early lead, and ticked off moderate fractions of :24.95, :49.15, and 1:13.72 through six furlongs. Runner-up Noteworthy Peach moved to challenge midway on the far turn before getting his head in front, igniting a battle through the stretch with a determined Bodhisattva. The winner found another gear when jockey Trevor McCarthy urged for more and got clear late, winning by 1 1/2 lengths.

 

All Hands, a full brother to ill-fated 2008 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands runner-up Eight Belles, settled in second early for Fernando Jara before checking in a well-beaten third, 6 3/4 lengths behind Noteworthy Peach. Ghost Bay, the Maryland-bred champion 2-year-old colt of 2014, was a neck back in fourth, followed by Slick William and Top of Mind to complete the order of finish.

 

Bodhisattva covered the 1 1/16-mile Tesio—the local prep for the Preakness Stakes (gr. I)—in 1:45.18, posting his first stakes win while improving his career line to 3-1-4 from 11 starts. He came into the race off a second to Bridget's Big Luvy in the Private Terms Stakes March 21 at Laurel Park.

 

"It was pretty clear, with the soft fractions, that we got away with one," McCarthy said. "I thought (All Hands) would go with me and I actually yelled to Fernando, 'Go on with it,' but he didn't. He took back. I said, 'OK, this is our race. Let's go for it.' He went out there with the easy fractions and we actually re-broke at the quarter pole."

 

Bodhisattva is nominated to the Triple Crown, and trainer and co-owner Jose Corrales said he would monitor the colt before looking at the second jewel of the classic series.

 

"Everybody wishes for that, but I want to see how everything goes from here," he said. "The horse tells me when he's going to run next. I don't pick a race in advance until I find out how a horse is coming out of the race and how he is getting ready for the next one. He ran well today."

 

Bodhisattva, who returned $10.80, is a California-bred colt by Student Council  . He was bred by Andy Stronach from the unraced Talk Is Money mare Dr. Cheryl P., a half sister to Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) winner and sire Wilko  . 

 

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said All Hands did not disappoint in making just his third career start.  

 

"I thought we might be on the lead. The eventual winner took that spot from us coming out of the first turn. They weren't going that fast," he said. "I think he would have been better off on the lead with a clean face, but that happens. He ran on gamely to hang on for third. We'll regroup and probably go back to an allowance race next time."