Undefeated Break Even Takes Saratoga's Coronation Cup
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Break Even takes to the turf and wins the Coronation Cup Stakes at Saratoga Race Course
Gliding easily over the Saratoga Race Course turf, Klein Racing's undefeated Break Even looked as though she was barely exerting herself while setting blazing fractions in the $100,000 Coronation Cup Stakes July 14, bringing her win tally to six.
"She does it easy. It's not a run off. She's very relaxed," Bob Klein said. "We've had a lot of nice horses, but this may be the nicest we've ever had. To start 6-for-6—she's been at five different racetracks. She's been on the turf, slop, dirt, seven-eighths, three-quarters, five and a half (furlongs). She'll do whatever you ask her to do."
The 3-year-old daughter of Country Day trained by Brad Cox has now won four consecutive stakes, including the Eight Belles Stakes Presented by Derby City Gaming (G2) on a rainy Kentucky Oaks Day at Churchill Downs. She has won all but the June 9 Jersey Girl Stakes on dirt at Belmont Park by open lengths and led gate-to-wire Sunday to score by a length over the late-closing Eyeinthesky.
Breaking from post 3, Break Even bumped with Eyeinthesky but then raced off to set fractions of :21.03 and :43.50 for the opening half-mile. She wrapped up five furlongs in :55.25 before finishing in a final time of 1:01.59. Eyeinthesky gamely tried to run down Break Even in the stretch, closing in on her steadily, while it was another 1 1/2 lengths back to third-place Bohemian Bourbon.
Off at even money, the winner returned $4.20, $3.30, and $2.50.
"We're going to definitely look at the (Aug. 31) Prioress (G2), and there's a turf sprint here at the end of the meet," Klein said. "I just want to take care of her, and we just want her to be happy. She'll tell us when she's ready to run.
"I know what her distance limitations are, and that's one of the reasons we thought about this race as opposed to the Test, because there was a lot of speed," he continued. "This is a deep, tiring track on the dirt going seven furlongs. Brad talked me into this, and I said, 'I want to do what's best for the horse.'"
A homebred for Richard and Bert Klein, Break Even was the first stakes winner for her sire, and she is the first graded stakes winner out of the Saint Ballado mare Exotic Wager—both of whom were also campaigned by the Kleins.
"I wish more people would take notice of Country Day," Bob Klein added. "He's putting winners out there. I hope people take notice and start wanting to breed to him. At six furlongs, I wouldn't mind running her against anyone. That's how confident I am in her."