Generous Tipper. (Adam Coglianese/NYRA)
By Lynne Snierson
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Generous Tipper realized his first stakes score when he upset the field of seven other sophomores in Sunday’s $150,000 Discovery at 1 1/8 miles on the main track on Closing Day of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.
Owned by Walking L Thoroughbreds and trained by Ken McPeek, Generous Tipper was the beneficiary of a heady and perfectly timed ride by Kendrick Carmouche. As 7-2 second choice Tuscan Sky and 4-5 favorite Batten Down were locked in a furious battle on the front end while setting fractions of 23.18, 46.51,1:11.05, and 1:37.12, Carmouche had the colt in the ideal stalking position. When the hot pace collapsed, Generous Tipper was able to take the advantage in the lane and get a one-length lead over a gritty Tuscan Sky by the eighth pole.
Nevertheless, Tuscan Sky, who was ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, had no quit in him. Generous Tipper had to dig in and fight him off for his 3/4-length score when he crossed the wire in 1:50.05 on the fast track. Copper Tax finished third, another 2 1/2 lengths back.
Batten Down, who is trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and was piloted by Junior Alvarado, finished fourth and was followed to the wire by Corporate Power, Hamilton’s Way, Regalo, and More Vino. Commuted was scratched.
Carmouche said, “They had to go fast in front of me. I was just going to sit and wait no matter what. I thought I could win this race no matter what. It was a perfect trip. I had the speed in front of me. I just had to sit and wait for them to come back to me. You know that Kenny had this horse ready to rock and roll. I’m just glad to be a part of it.”
On his plan going into the race named for Alfred G. Vanderbilt’s Hall of Famer and 1935 Horse of the Year, the winning rider said, “Save ground as much as you can, and hopefully they come back to you – then become a winner.”
Velazquez said he was proud of the effort put forth by the Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher-trained Tuscan Sky, who was making his first start since a 6th place finish in the Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell on July 20 at Monmouth Park.
“I think he ran really well. It was not what I wanted to do, but I ended up being there [the lead] so I had to maintain my position. He put in a good fight,” said Velazquez. “I expected that horse [Batten Down] would be on the lead, but I thought he’d probably clear me going into the first turn. Then he never did, so nothing I can do.”
Generous Tipper returned $20.60 for a $2 win bet. Bred in Kentucky by Jeff Prunzik and Melissa Prunzik, Generous Tipper, by Street Sense and out of the Curlin mare Stopshoppingdebbie improved his record to 3-1-1 in seven starts and increased his earnings to $264,359 with the $82,500 winner’s portion of the purse.
Live racing resumes on Thursday at Aqueduct Racetrack with an eight-race card. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.
