Salamis. (Chelsea Durand)
By Mary Eddy
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Juddmonte’s Kentucky homebred Salamis proved superior with a well-timed ride from Flavien Prat in Sunday’s $150,000 Gio Ponti, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomores, at Belmont at the Big A.
Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the son of Speightstown entered from a three-quarter-length graduation at fourth asking on August 8 at Saratoga Race Course, where he pounced from off the pace under Prat to show a strong kick down the lane and edge clear to victory. He again utilized an off-the-pace trip and did his best running late but won the Gio Ponti with even more authority as he drove clear to cross the wire 1 1/4 lengths in front of the chasing Capitol Hill.
“That [kick] was kind of the same as last time,” Prat said. “I thought last time when he won at Saratoga, he showed some good turn of foot. I really loved the way he ran, just repeated that.”
Salamis emerged from the outermost post 7 and tucked in to settle in fifth behind the main quartet of contenders as the sharp-starting Magic Pathway marked the opening quarter-mile in 23.19 seconds over the firm footing just ahead of Griffin’s Wharf.
“I had the intention of getting forward to try to avoid a bad draw, but then the pace was decent enough where I was able to tuck him in,” Prat said. “Then from there, he gave me a good run. It wasn’t a crazy pace, but it was honest where everyone kind of found a position without any trouble.”
A patient Prat held his position down the backstretch with a sizable gap between him and the topflight, which included the tracking longshot X Y Prime and second choice Candytown, as Magic Pathway marked the half-mile in 46.95. The running order remained unchanged entering the turn as Candytown and Griffin’s Wharf spun their wheels and Magic Pathway proved stubborn at the front, but Prat had angled his charge widest of all as he progressed with giant strides to loom the largest threat after three quarters in 1:11.19.
Magic Pathway’s lead had waned by the eighth pole, and Salamis soon swept past the pacesetters as Griffin’s Wharf stuck his neck in front of a tiring Magic Pathway. Capitol Hill was finding his best stride late to the outside of Salamis, but the Brown trainee stayed strong through the final stages to cross the wire first in a final time of 1:35.14.
Capitol Hill was 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Griffin’s Wharf with Candytown completing the superfecta. Church and State, X Y Prime and Magic Pathway completed the order of finish. Snookie Bear, who finished sixth in yesterday’s Kent at Delaware Park, was scratched.
Junior Alvarado, aboard Capitol Hill, praised the effort from the Hall of Famer Bill Mott trainee, who had finished a distant 11th last out in the Listed Gun Runner on September 6 at Kentucky Downs.
“Ran very good. We were sitting right behind the winner the whole way,” Alvarado said. “I thought I asked right on time, to see if I’d get there on time, but the winner just kept going. I think we were second best today.
“They went quick, he wasn’t as quick as the other horses early,” Alvarado added. “I figured I wanted to be somewhere forwardly-placed, but they left the gate and went quick for him. I just waited there and came with a good run at the end.”
Salamis is out of the Brown-trained Juddmonte color-bearer Antonoe, a daughter of First Defence who captured the Grade 1 Just a Game in 2017 at Belmont Park. Antonoe also produced the dual graded stakes-winning Ghostzapper filly Segesta for these same connections. Salamis banked $82,500 in victory while returning $6.32 on a $2 win ticket.
Live racing resumes Thursday at Belmont at the Big A with an eight-race card, featuring the Grade 3, $175,000 Matron in Race 5. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
