Blacktype Kicks Into Gear to Take Knickerbocker
Image:
Description:
Photo: Coglianese Photos
Blacktype (inside) turns back a late challenge from Hi Happy to win the Knickerbocker at Belmont Park
Jump Sucker Stable's Blacktype again proved that age is just a number Oct. 8, running gate-to-wire at Belmont Park to win his second consecutive Knickerbocker Stakes (G2T).
Under jockey Joel Rosario, the 7-year-old son of Dunkerque was bumped lightly by Aquaphobia at the start but recovered to move quickly to the lead. Settling just off the rail, Blacktype set fractions of :24, :47.45, and 1:11.27 through six furlongs.
Trailing three-wide and one length behind the leader, Hi Happy made his move with three furlongs to run and began to steadily chip away at Blacktype's leading margin.
With one furlong left to run, Hi Happy dug deep in a last-ditch effort to overtake the leader, but was rebuffed by Blacktype who was the winner by a neck at the wire.
"He seemed happy where he was and he just kept going," Rosario said. "He ran a big race today.
"Turning for home, they started coming, and when (Hi Happy) came to him, he kept on fighting. It was really good. I thought for a second the other horse was going to get to me, but when he saw that horse coming, he stayed on."
Final time for the 1 1/8-mile test on the Belmont "good" inner turf was 1:48.35. Hi Happy took second followed by a hard-charging Inspector Lynley who angled five wide in the stretch and kicked home to take show honors. Revved Up, Night Prowler, and Aquaphobia completed the order of finish. Blacktype is the first horse to win back to back reprisals of the Knickerbocker since Boisterous (2011-12).
"This is a funny race, we've been very lucky and it's been a lot of fun," said Christophe Clement, who has trained Blacktype since he arrived in the United States from France in 2014. "Joel (Rosario) did superb. I was a little worried because he didn't have an easy lead early on, but he did enough to win."
The victory was the first graded score for Blacktype since winning last year's Knickerbocker. The gelding now holds a 12-3-8 record from 36 starts with earnings of $971,335. Bred in France by E.A.R.L. Haras du Quesnay, Blacktype started nine times in his native country before shipping to the U.S. in the fall of 2014.
Clement trainee Lonely Road showed off her turn of foot later on the Belmont card to give the trainer a second stakes win of the day in the $150,000 Matron Stakes (G3T) over six furlongs.
Sent off at post-time odds of 18-1, Lonely Road broke mid-pack and settled off the pace under David Cohen in the 11-horse field as Egoli, Malibu Mischief, and Guacamole battled for the lead.
Ahead by a half length as the field reached the quarter pole in :45.57, Egoli tired quickly and dropped back to sixth just as Lonely Road cut the corner entering the upper stretch. Entirely moved up the middle to briefly challenge for the lead along with Monette who angled out six wide under a hard drive from jockey Jose Ortiz.
Not to be denied, Lonely Road mustered a final effort in the final strides to win by a head in a final time of 1:10.88.
"Christophe told me that she has a lot of speed and can put me in the right pouncing type of spot," Cohen said. "She really kicked on good and showed a lot of heart."
Bred in Kentucky by her owner, Robert S. Evans, the daughter of Quality Road broke her maiden on second asking June 3 going 5 1/2 furlongs on the Belmont dirt. Lonely Road entered the Matron off an eighth-place run in the July 7 Schuylerville Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course and after a brief break, it was decided that the filly would make her next start on the grass.
"At the moment we're going to enjoy this win and watch the reply," Clement said. "I'll talk to Mr. Evans next week and he can make up his mind on where to go next."
Lonely Road now has two wins from four starts with $135,900 in earnings.
Video: Knickerbocker S. (G2T)