Running Bee scoring the Artie Schiller after dueling with Big Everest. (Adam Coglianese/NYRA)
Jockey Dylan Davis takes two stakes on the day
By Brian Bohl
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Calumet Farm’s Running Bee rewarded his 3-5 favoritism by going eye-to-eye with pacesetter Big Everest in the stretch before pulling away from the outside for a victory by a neck in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Artie Schiller, a one-mile inner turf test for 3-year-olds and up, at Belmont at the Big A.
Running Bee, trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, won for the fourth time in five starts in New York, which includes a win in the Listed Bernard Baruch in September at Saratoga Race Course. Returning to the Empire State off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Turf Mile last month at Keeneland, Running Bee was forwardly placed under jockey Dylan Davis breaking from post 5.
Davis kept Running Bee just off Big Everest’s fractions of 24.36 seconds for the opening quarter-mile with the half in 48.79 and three-quarters in 1:12.32 over firm going. Big Everest, under rider Kendrick Carmouche, stayed to the inside in the stretch. Running Bee pressed him from the outside as the two went eye-to-eye before Running Bee outkicked him in deep stretch and completed the course in 1:35.50.
Big Everest, who was thwarted in his attempt to capture a third-straight Artie Schiller, took second as a charging Fort Washington rallied for third. St. Anthony, He’spuregold and Sky’s Not Falling completed the order of finish. Sky’s Not Falling, who was eased to the finish, was pulled up after the wire and provided a ride back in the equine ambulance – he was reported to have bled. Film Star, entered for the main track only, scratched.
Running Bee returned $3.40 on a $2 win bet. The 5-year-old son of English Channel improved to 7-3-1 in 15 starts overall and increased his career bankroll to $667,443.
“Big Everest is a front running type. There was no other one that could go with him to keep the pace honest,” Davis said. “I thought it was my job to do that, so I broke well and was in good striking distance of him, on his hip. Fractions were well enough that I was OK with it. I made sure to keep pace with him, so he didn’t get away from me into the second turn.
“We did get a neck in front at the three-sixteenths, but Big Everest is a fighter and a fierce competitor who kept us honest until the wire,” Davis added. “I thought it was going to be even closer than it was. I was happy that I was able to fight him back off. He ran great.”
Big Everest has nine wins, and two runner-up finishes in 20 starts for trainer Christophe Clement.
“No excuse. The horse ran his race,” Carmouche said. “I got good fractions. At the quarter-pole if he wouldn’t have kind of lost his footing, he probably could’ve won. But once that horse got his head in front, he fought on. Horse ran a good race. No excuse – second best.”
The field featured both Running Bee and Fort Washington in a rematch of the two competitors who dead-heated for victory in the Grade 3 Monmouth in June. Running Bee had entered the Artie Schiller off a pair of efforts that each earned a field-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure.
Live racing resumes Sunday with a nine-race card for Closing Day of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet featuring three separate $150,000 stakes contested on the main track, highlighted by the nine-furlong Listed Turnback the Alarm in Race 2; the Listed Pumpkin Pie in Race 6; and the Discovery in Race 8. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
