Rocketry Blasts to Track Record in Temperance Hill
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand
Rocketry is alone at the wire to score in the Temperance Hill at Belmont Park
Rocketry brought down Man o' War's 98-year track record for 1 5/8 miles at Belmont Park when he was able to kick away in the stretch of the $200,000 Temperance Hill Invitational Stakes Sept. 30 to finish in a final time of 2:40.18.
The previous time of 2:40 4/5 stood since Man o' War set the record Sept. 4, 1920 while carrying 126 pounds. In Sunday's race for 3-year-olds and up Rocketry carried 120 pounds.
"It's kind of sad, that's for sure," trainer Jimmy Jerkens said of his charge's victory. "The great Man o' War. But ... I don't think they've probably ran (the distance) four times since Man o' War ran it. But, when they run it again next year, his name will be in the program."
Centennial Farms' Rocketry broke slow from the rail and settled in last of five, leaving War Story to set fractions of :24.93, :49.58, and 1:13.73, with Archanova pressing the leader throughout the six furlongs. After a mile went in 1:37.90, Joel Rosario asked Rocketry to make his move and the 4-year-old son of Hard Spun responded with a burst.
You're To Blame went with Rocketry into the final turn and the two joined War Story on the lead, three across the track. On the outside, Rocketry had the momentum to give him a slight advantage. You're To Blame fought gamely through the stretch as War Story tired, but in the end Rocketry pulled away to a 1 1/2-length score.
War Story held for third, another 7 3/4 lengths back. The winner returned $9.30, $3.70, and $2.30 across the board.
Rocketry had previously struggled on the turf, where he won just three times in 14 starts. He came home fourth in this year's Belmont Gold Cup Invitational Stakes (G2T), sixth in the 2017 Hill Prince Stakes (G3T), and fourth in the Saranac Stakes (G3T) in his graded stakes debut one start prior.
"We started to get frustrated on the turf," Jerkens said. "Johnny (Velazquez) even told me, 'It doesn't pay to save ground with this horse. Every time that happens, he gets his run up and gets stopped and it takes too long for him to get going again.' He said to really give him freedom to run on the turf, you've got to lose a lot of ground, but you don't want to do that either. So, I started thinking maybe we'll try him on the dirt then.
"In time he's started to really work nice and steady on the dirt. I've worked him in company with a lot of decent horses. Matter of fact, he worked with Holy Helena the other day, and he looked like he could've pulled away from her anytime he wanted to. ... I told them at Centennial that I really wanted to give it a go on the dirt, especially with the big sweeping turns at Belmont. He might just really like it."
Bred by Gainesway Thoroughbreds, Rocketry is the first foal to race out of the Smart Strike mare Smart Farming. He improved his record to 4-3-2 from 15 starts with $377,090 in earnings.