Fearless Rallies Up the Rail to Birdstone Score
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand
Fearless surges up the rail to win the Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga Race Course
The dirt marathon division appears to have a new leader as Repole Stable's Fearless bested defending race winner and notable dirt stayer Lone Rock in the July 28 $194,000 Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
Fearless, trained by Todd Pletcher, was a last-out winner of the Brooklyn Stakes (G2) traveling 1 1/2 miles at Belmont Park, where Lone Rock finished third. The 6-year-old son of Ghostzapper persevered to the wire on Thursday, capturing the 1 3/4-mile test by three-quarters of a length and earned his third stakes triumph this year.
Breaking sharply from his inside post, Fearless took back to third as Lone Rock flashed his usual front-running style with Shooger Ray Too just to his outside in second through a quarter-mile in :24.94, half-mile in :50:06, and three-quarters in 1:15.40.
Rounding the far turn, Lone Rock was 1 1/2 lengths in front of Original Intent , with both horses drifting out approaching the quarter-pole. With the inside wide open, Fearless wasted no time pursuing the front as Lone Rock attempted to keep him and Original Intent, to his outside, at bay. As Lone Rock's lead dwindled, Fearless captured command passing the eighth pole and prevailed in a final time of 2:59.88 on a good main track.
Original Intent finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Lone Rock, who rounded out the trifecta.
Pletcher, who has won 6-of-12 editions of the Birdstone, admitted he was concerned when the field passed the grandstand for the first time.
"It didn't seem like he was loving the track. He was off the bridle pretty early for him," said Pletcher. "I was worried until he made a little spurt down the backside where he picked up a couple of lengths and I thought maybe we were OK, but then he came off the bridle again. Luis (jockey Saez) just stayed with him—a really courageous effort for a horse that I don't really think was loving the going out there.
“You have to give him credit. That win was all heart. Luis never gave up on him. It was a good ride from him to stay with him and keep asking.”
Saez also said there were some anxious moments for Fearless.
"At one point when we hit the half-mile, I thought it was over. But we cut the corner and he switched leads and gave me another gear," Saez said.
Banking $110,000 in victory, Fearless boosted his lifetime earnings to $1,236,450. He returned $3.90 for a $2 win wager as the post-time favorite.
Gallant in defeat, Lone Rock's trainer Robertino Diodoro said his 16-time winner and earner of more than $1.4 million didn't get the trip he was hoping for.
"He put the 5 (Shooger Ray Too) away and as soon as he put him away, the 3 (Original Intent) was on him, so he never really got a breather. He tried, but going a mile and three-quarters he needs a breather," Diodoro said. "I'm not disappointed in him. He tried and had to do all the dirty work today. We'll give him a little time and think about (a next start) in a week or so."
Bred by Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust, Repole picked up Fearless for $205,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Horses of Racing Age Sale from the ELiTE Sales, agent, consignment. He is a son of the multiple grade 1-placed Street Cry mare And Why Not and a half brother to stakes winner and multiple graded stakes-placed Just Whistle.