Lubash, Invading Humor Take NY-Bred Stakes
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By Jerry Bossert
Separated by only a head in West Point Stakes last month, Lubash and King Kreesa once again slugged it out through the stretch before Lubash proved a neck better to take $125,000 Ashley T. Cole Stakes Sept. 14 at Belmont Park.
The race for 3-year-olds and older was one of two stakes for New York-breds on Sunday's card that also included the Ashley T. Cole Stakes for fillies and mares.
King Kreesa, who held on to win West Point at Saratoga Race Course, went immediately to the front under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and cut all the fractions in the Ashley T. Cole, including the opening half-mile in :48.14, while Lubash trailed in last in the field of five.
Turning for home, King Kreesa held a one-length lead over Kharafa but Lubash was rallying three wide under jockey Junior Alvarado and was able to run him down in the final strides.
"He's such a good horse," Alvarado said of Lubash. "He might not win every time, but he always shows up. When I turned for home and saw it was (King Kreesa) ahead of me, I thought, 'Oh, no, I have to catch that one?' But he tried his best like always and came through."
The victory was the 11th from 37 career starts for Lubash, a 7-year-old son of Freud , and it ended a four-race losing streak to King Kreesa dating back to last year.
"He's a sound horse and he tries very hard," trainer Christophe Clement said. "Junior has a good relationship with the horse, he knows him inside out. This is fun. This is a very good group of New York-bred turf horses. King Kreesa and (third-place finisher) Kharafa are always tough."
A homebred of Aliyu Ben J Stables, Lubash has finished on the board in 23 of 37 career starts, with his biggest win coming in the 2013 Fort Marcy Stakes (gr. IIIT).
Lubash, who also won the 2012 running of the Ashley T. Cole Stakes, returned $6.10, $3, and $2.20 as the 2-1 second-choice in the wagering. King Kreesa returned $2.40 and $2.30, while Kharafa returned $2.60 to show.
Front and Notacatbutallama completed the order of finish.
Lubash, who is out of the Cure the Blues mare Nasty Cure, covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.83 over Belmont's inner turf course that was labeled good.
Later on the card, Invading Humor ($12.80) proved best in the $125,000 John Hettinger Stakes when she came back along the rail under Rajiv Maragh to prevail by one length while completing 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.47.
Sent off as the second-choice, Invading Humor battled from the start with Princess Mara, who weakened to last, before finding another gear in the lane to prevail.
Longshot Strike Accord rallied from seventh in the field of nine to catch the odds-on choice Effie Trinket to finish second.
By Invasor , Invading Humor is owned by Bloodlines Racing Partnerships and trained by Bruce Levine. She was bred by Dr. James Randall Mcglinn out of Very Funny, by Distorted Humor .