Course Record, Controversial DQ Highlight Saturday at Spa

Hard Not to Like closed with a powerful rally to win the Grade 1 Diana Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course, where she established a new course record. (Photo by Adam Coglianese/NYRA)
Hard Not to Like set a new course record in the Grade 1 Diana Stakes while the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes was decided by a controversial disqualification on an action-packed, opening-weekend Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.
Hard Not to Like closed like a locomotive in the stretch of the Diana and caught runner-up Tepin in the final stride to win by a nose under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez.
Winning trainer Christophe Clement credited Velazquez with a heady ride.
“He’s a top jockey, and there’s a reason why. He makes a difference,” Clement said. “She got a superb ride and she’s also a very good filly. [At the eighth pole, I thought my chances] to get a place, pretty good; to win, slim. The last 50 yards, suddenly I got a bit excited because I thought, ‘She's going to get there!’ Remarkable ride from Johnny Velazquez.”
Speedway Stable’s Hard Not to Like completed 1 1/8 miles in 1:45.22 to establish a new record for the Mellon turf course at Saratoga. Shakis set the previous record of 1:45.33 in the 2007 Bernard Baruch Handicap.
Kitten’s Queen set a solid pace in the Diana through a half-mile in :47.20 and three-quarters of a mile in 1:10.15. Tepin seized command from Kitten’s Queen approaching the finish line after stalking the leader throughout, but Hard Not to Like crashed the party late with a powerful rally.
HARD NOT TO LIKE PREVAILED IN FINAL JUMP

Photo by Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Twelve lengths back with three furlongs left, Hard Not to Like devoured real estate in the stretch to record her third career Grade 1 win and her fifth stakes win overall.
“This horse is much better now and is only improving,” Velazquez said. “As the distance of the races got longer the better the horse became. The horse is a little small and doesn’t have the speed to stay with the other horses in the first part of the race. The longer the race went on, the longer the horse’s strides became.”
Hard Not to Like banked $300,000 of the $500,000 Diana Stakes purse to boost her career earnings to $1,261,671.
Uncle Vinny prevailed via disqualification in the $150,000 Sanford Stakes to give trainer Todd Pletcher his sixth win in the three-quarter of a mile race for 2-year-olds and his sire, Uncle Mo, his first stakes winner.
Like Hard Not to Like, Uncle Vinny made up a ton of ground late but never seriously threatened Magna Light, who set the pace early and was three-quarters of a length in front at the finish line.
Magna Light ducked out badly in the stretch, although he had a clear lead at the time, but stewards ruled he interfered with third-place finisher Percolator and he was disqualified from first to third.
MAGNA LIGHT (inside) AND UNCLE VINNY (outside) RACE TO THE FINISH

Photo by Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Rudy Rodriguez, trainer of Magna Light, disagreed with the decision but understood that those decisions are part of horse racing.
“I thought they were going to look at it but not take it down. He's a good horse, unfortunately we got taken down,” Rodriguez said. “We have to get over it, but it's a shame. You come to Saratoga to bring the horses the best way you can."
Uncle Vinny improved to two wins in three starts and bounced back from a sixth-place finish in the Tremont Stakes on June 5 at Belmont Park. Trained by Pletcher for owner Starlight Racing, Uncle Vinny was purchased for $175,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale. He is from the first crop of  2010 champion 2-year-old male Uncle Mo.
"I really, really do feel bad for Rudy Rodriguez, Michael Dubb and all his connections because they really did run a winning race,” said Don Lucarelli of Starlight Partners. “It's unfortunate to have to win them this way. We ran huge, too, but [Magna Light], today, was a better horse. Bottom line is, we get to cash a ticket. It is what it is.
“[Trainer] Todd [Pletcher] said that [jockey] Johnny [Velazquez] said it took him a while to get him going, which really I do like hearing that because that means hopefully that he wants to get more distance and needs to be relaxed. As we add distance, hopefully he’ll be able to accomplish more ground in the future.”
For Equibase charts, click here.