Zennor Upsets Graded Winners in Lure

Godolphin's Zennor didn't bring the back class others did into the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure Stakes Aug. 5 at Saratoga Race Course, but he brought an aptitude of finding the wire first. 

While favored Projected continued a recent run of seconditis, Zennor got the perfect trip in the 1 1/16-mile Lure on the Saratoga grass and easily held off a mild bid from the favorite to win.

The 5-year-old Medaglia d'Oro   gelding stalked runaway early leader Macagone early in the Lure, took command in the stretch, and prevailed by a length under jockey Joe Bravo.

"I just tried to stay out of this big gray horse's way," Bravo said. "Anything I ask him to do, he does it with ease. The most impressive thing about the race is that he came back like he did nothing. He kicked off at the top of the lane, he kicked all the way throughout it, but I still had horse underneath me. As he gets better his confidence is getting better too."

After Macagone set fractions of :23.92, :47 flat, and 1:09.88 through six furlongs and began to tire in the stretch only the Chad Brown-trained duo of Projected and Takeover Target appeared to be threats, but Zennor never gave up significant ground to win for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin in 1:39.23.

"Takeover Target ran well off the layoff, but Projected was disappointing," Brown said. "I thought he had every chance to win, but he didn't get there, so I'm disappointed with his effort."

Bred by Darley in Kentucky, out of the Night Shift mare Zelanda, Zennor came into the Lure off a pair of conditional allowance victories on the grass—at Keeneland in April and Belmont Park in June—and also won a January allowance at Gulfstream Park, with a fifth-place allowance finish in February his only misfire in 2017.

Although the Lure was his stakes debut, Zennor defeated four graded stakes winners—Takeover Target (third), Ring Weekend (fifth), Blacktype (sith), and Camelot Kitten (seventh).

"On paper this was a grade 2," McLaughlin said. "We don't know how good he is. We'll maybe step up to a proper graded stakes next time, even though this was like a graded stakes."