Crupi Rallies to First Graded Stakes Win in Suburban

While co-owner Mike Repole would have preferred a graded stakes win earlier in Crupi 's career, he certainly appreciated the timing of his runner's last-to-first stretch run to win the $350,000 Suburban Stakes (G2) June 8 at Saratoga Race Course.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables' Crupi, a 4-year-old son of Curlin  , is named after the late horseman and pinhooker Jimmy Crupi, who died in 2019.

"(Co-owner Vinnie Viola) and I wanted to pick a really good horse to name Crupi and ... the last good horse he picked out for us was Vino Rosso, and Vino Rosso was a Curlin. And then the dam of the horse is Don'tforgetaboutme," said Repole. "And I kind of said, 'This has to be the one.'

"You can't forget about Jimmy. He picked out Uncle Mo for me. He picked out Liam's Map for Vinnie and he picked out a bunch of horses for us together."

Repole wrapped up the winner's circle celebration by texting Crupi's widow, Edith.

The emotional winner's circle followed a 1 1/4-mile test that saw Crupi, under Irad Ortiz Jr., rally from sixth in the final quarter-mile to edge 9-5 favorite Bendoog . The start was the first for Crupi since he finished 10th in the Dubai World Cup (G1) March 30 at Meydan Racecourse.

Winning trainer Todd Pletcher noted that the only good news from that effort is it didn't take much out of late-running Crupi and he quickly bounced back. Crupi raced last of seven early as Kuchar  led through a half-mile in :47.85.

"My concern was I didn't see a whole lot of pace in here on paper and he's not a horse who can really change his style; he's a horse who wants to make one late run," Pletcher said. "We had to sacrifice some ground around the far turn to get him in the clear but he kept coming."

Ortiz noted that Crupi was comfortable throughout the race ahead of his big finish.

"He cooperated so well with me," Ortiz said. "He was doing everything I asked him to do."

The runner-up's finish marked his first start in a graded stakes since arriving in the United States last year. Grade 3 winner Masqueparade  finished third and Time for Trouble  was fourth.

The first four finishers of the Suburban will have their fees waived if they start in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) Sept. 1 at Saratoga.

Bred in Kentucky by Claiborne Farm, Crupi is one of three winners out of Don'tforgetaboutme, including grade 3-placed Royal Spirit . With Jacob West as agent, the current owners went to $275,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale to land Crupi from the consignment of Claiborne Farm.

Crupi is the fifth graded stakes winner this season for Curlin, who stands for $250,000 at Hill 'n' Dale Farms near Paris, Ky. Other 2024 graded stakes winners for Curlin include grade 1 winner Idiomatic , grade 2 winner Coffee in Bed , and grade 3 winners Highland Falls  and Raging Sea .