ELMONT, N.Y. – Ny Traffic kept his perfect Belmont Park record intact for owners John Fanelli, Cash is King, LC Racing, Paul Braverman and Team Hanley in Friday’s $100,000 Affirmed Success for New York-bred 4-year-olds and upward sprinting six furlongs over the main track to kick off stakes action at the spring/summer meet.
Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., Ny Traffic cut back to sprinting and improved off a fifth-place finish last out in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile on March 5 where he stalked the pace and was defeated 10 1/4 lengths. The Affirmed Success is the second stakes win for the 5-year-old son of Cross Traffic, who is now 3-for-3 over Big Sandy.
“This horse likes New York and Belmont,” said Joseph, Jr. “Hopefully, it’s the start of a good meet for us. We’re going to have 16 horses there and we’re thankful to be there.”
Ridden to victory by Jose Ortiz from post 1, Ny Traffic broke alertly and was urged to vie for the lead with the Javier Castellano-piloted Lobsta to his outside over the fast main track. Ny Traffic took command and led the field of five through an opening quarter-mile in 22.66 seconds as he held a half-length advantage over Lobsta down the backstretch and approaching the turn.
Ortiz peeked under his arm at the top of the lane after a half-mile in 45.50 and asked Ny Traffic for more while Castellano continued to give a strong ride to Lobsta on the outside. Ny Traffic had plenty left in the tank and kicked clear to widen his advantage at the eighth pole, wrapping up at the sixteenth pole to coast come a clear 3 3/4-length winner over the multiple stakes-winning Lobsta in a final time of 1:09.54.
Reggae Music Man finished another 6 3/4 lengths behind Lobsta to complete the trifecta with Bank On Shea and Hold the Salsa rounding out the order of finish.
Joseph Jr. praised the ride by Ortiz, who piloted Ny Traffic for the first time.
“Going in, I would love to be on the lead, but I didn’t think we would be cutting back to six furlongs,” Joseph, Jr. said. “Jose warmed him up well and was very assertive getting him on the lead. I thought it was a winning move by him.”
Ortiz said it was his plan to be on the lead.
“He’s known for not liking the kickback, so I was very aggressive with him out of the one-hole. I knew the two-horse [Reggae Music Man] had speed and the other horse outside of me [Bank on Shea] had speed, so I knew I had to move forward,” Ortiz said. “I couldn’t break thinking about it or be 50-50. I went all in and it played out well. I had a nice comfortable lead with him and he finished up very well. I had a lot of horse underneath me passing the wire. He’s a very nice New York-bred.
“When I saw Lobsta there, I was happy because I knew he wasn’t as fast as me and couldn’t put a lot of pressure on me going to the three-eighths pole,” Ortiz added. “The other horses I thought could push me a little more and maybe cost me something at the end.”
Four of Ny Traffic’s five career victories have come at the sprint distance, but he has shown versatility with placings at route distances, including a close runner-up effort in the 2020 Grade 1 Haskell where he was beaten a nose by eventual Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner and 2020 Horse of the Year, Authentic. His other Belmont triumph was a dominating 8 3/4-length romp in the Hudson Handicap in October sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs over a sloppy and sealed main track.
Joseph, Jr. said Ny Traffic is likely to stretch out again in the one-mile $200,000 Commentator Handicap on May 30 at Belmont, one of six New York-bred stakes races on Big Apple Showcase Day.
Bred in New York by Brian Culnan, Ny Traffic banked $55,000 for his winning effort and boosted his total purse earnings to $815,740. Out of the winning Graeme Hall mare Mamie Reilly, Ny Traffic returned $2.90 for a $2 win wager and now boasts a 18-5-4-2 record.
Live racing continues Saturday at Belmont Park with a 10-race card, featuring the $100,000 Elusive Quality in Race 9. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the spring/summer meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the spring/summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
By Mary Eddy/NYRA Press Release
Photo: Ny Traffic (NYRA/Coglianese)
