Epic Style gets his head in front first at the wire, NYRA Photo
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Keith McCalmont
Speedway Stables’ Epic Style arrived in the final jumps to nail pacesetter Cupids Crush and capture the first division of Friday’s Listed $175,000 Perfect Sting, a seven-furlong Widener turf sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Belmont Park.
Trained by Michael Stidham and piloted by Antonio Fresu, the 4-year-old Good Magic dark bay has now won three straight races, including a 2 1/4-length optional-claiming score traveling 6 1/2-furlongs on August 30 at Kentucky Downs and a deep-closing 1 1/4-length victory in the six-furlong Listed Sweet Briar Too on September 19 at Woodbine Racetrack.
“We finally figured out her sweet spot is six to seven furlongs on the grass,” Stidham said. “That was what we were getting today, and I don’t know, but she didn’t really get the respect that she deserved after just running a 97 Beyer in her last start and an eight Ragozin.
“At this distance, she is just lethal. She has a lethal turn of foot,” Stidham continued. “Watching down the lane, she was flying and nobody else was really going anywhere other than the leader that we had to catch.”
Cupids Crush, a pacesetting stakes winner last out at Canterbury Park, broke alertly from the inside post and marked the opening quarter-mile in 22.71 seconds over the firm footing with Wind Flower and Oversubscribed stalking to her outside.
The Julio Hernandez-piloted Cupids Crush maintained her lead into the turn with Wind Flower pressing and Somnium advancing up the rail through a half-mile in 45.24. Epic Style was last-of-7 midway through the turn but was gaining ground readily under Fresu as Cupids Crush spun the field into the stretch run.
The pacesetter stayed on gamely down the lane, but Epic Style was in full flight down the center of the course to secure a head victory in a final time of 1:20.20.
Fresu, who notched his third stakes win of the meet, said he followed Stidham’s gameplan with the improving Epic Style.
“First time I’ve sat on this filly, but she was beautiful in the post parade. I just tried to follow instructions: let her settle. I’ve watched her races, and she always comes from off the pace,” Fresu said. “I was a little bit worried that the pace wasn’t extremely fast today. It’s really hard to make up ground from the back. It wasn’t a really fast pace, but she settled well and at the three-eighths she started coming alive.
“I was patient with her,” Fresu added. “When I put her on the outside, she showed her talent. I think I still had another gear. Let’s say that I think there is a little more there. Let’s see what the future holds for her.”
Cupids Crush completed the exacta by 2 1/2-lengths over Wind Flower with Somnium, Spirited Boss, Civetta and Oversubscribed rounding out the order of finish. Fast Market and New Rose, who is entered in the first division of Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Glen Cove, were scratched.
The McLean Robertson-trained Minnesota-bred Cupids Crush entered from her third-consecutive score versus fellow state-breds in the Princess Elaine Minnesota Distaff Turf Championship [2024-26]. Hernandez said the 12-time winner from 29 career starts was game in defeat.
“She broke very well,” Hernandez said. “It was about trying to see how long I could wait to make her move. She is very explosive. Got her to relax at the half-mile, we just got beat by a closer. They were better than us today, but she ran her race. We were hoping she’d come here and run her race, and she did, just got beat today.”
Stidham indicated he would nominate Epic Style to the one-mile Listed $175,000 Noble Damsel on November 27 here. Bred in Kentucky by Tom Durant, Epic Style banked $96,250 in victory while improving her record to 14-5-3-2. She returned $10.52 for a $2 win bet.
Live racing resumes Saturday at Belmont Park for the Empire Showcase Day card, which offers 10 stakes exclusively for horses foaled in New York State valued at a combined $2.1 million in purses. First post on the 11-race program is 12:05 p.m. Eastern.
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