Nonios brilliant in his stakes debut – Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes
Green Smith’s three-year-old colt, Nonios, had a bit to prove going in for his stakes debut, after his maiden special weight race at first asking and an allowance/optional win at a mile in his next start. But his connections never though he would knock off
Bob Baffert trainer, Liaison to announce his arrival.
Nonios posted his first career hat-trick in his career’s third start when he participated in the Grade 3, $100,000 Affirmed Stakes over at Betfair Hollywood Park’s cushion track on 3 June, 2012.
Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer did stretch out Nonios from his maiden race to the allowance win, and the Affirmed Stakes was no exception as well, as the colt was running over the 1 1/16 mile distance for the first time.
With Martin Pedroza aboard the stakes debuting colt, the pair in a field of six, 3-year-olds went against a Kentucky Derby started, who finished sixth in the Run for the Roses this year.
Despite that, when the race started, it wasn’t smooth sailing for, Nonios, who bobbled at the break, and this gave another Bob Baffert entry, Gun Boat, the opportunity to angle to the inside and dictate the pace.
The other speed horses in the race were scratched, and Gun Boat was the only of his kind in the Affirmed Stakes.
Nonios stuck in the rail, had others to reel down Gun Boat, as American Act was aware to slow the pace down on the first turn, as Liaison just outside of Nonios kept tabs on the debutant and Unusual Heatwave kept check on the runaway speed horse.
Gun Boat, despite all the commotion in the back, carved pedestrian fractions of 24.01 seconds for the opening quarter mile, 47.58 seconds for the half mile marker and 1 minute and 12.01 seconds for the six furlong marker.
Past the furlong maker, Nonios under Pedroza gained the lead on Unusual Heatwave and inched away in the deep stretch to counter Liaison, and hold off the experienced campaigner to win his first stakes race.
“I thought this horse could run for a long time," Hollendorfer said. "He should be undefeated. He was very unlucky to lose at Golden Gate when he ran against older horses. Luckily the owner kept confidence in me with this horse and let me run him here. I
always get worried when we’re on the rail and it looked like there wouldn’t be anywhere to go. We got lucky and got a seam and ran through it.”
Tags: