Rule outlasting Sangaree in an amazing duel till the wire to win the Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga
The 4-year-old Todd Pletcher trained colt, Rule, prevailed over Godolphin owned 6-year-old Sangaree to win the $75,000 Birdstone Stakes, run over at a distance of nine furlongs at Saratoga racecourse on 4 August, 2011.
The two horses were virtually inseparable on the stretch, but Rule, under jockey Javier Castellano, outran Sangaree in the end by a mere neck to hit the wire.
Gautier finished third, eight lengths back when Rule crossed the wire, which shows the intensity of the strides the two colts put in the race, such that the rest of the competition seemed to be running on an entirely different race.
Son of Roman Ruler out of Rockside by Personal Flag, Rule, has had a difficult season prior to the win at Saratoga.
The 4-year-old colt kicked off the season by finishing second in the Grade 2 Hal’s Hope, but fell behind in the spring/summer races, finishing on the cards occasionally.
On 8 January, 2011, Rule started in the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope held at Gulfstream Park dirt, over a distance of 1 mile. Under jockey J Castellano, the pair took off from the gates with immense speed.
After the quarter mile mark, the pair started fading away in the mid pack, but a powerful drive by Castellano pressured Rule to put in the final strides, as he finished second before Soaring Empire, running a good race.
Rule has had six starts overall this season, and before the Birdstone Stakes, the colt couldn’t manage a single win but finished second, once, and third, twice, out of 5 races.
His biggest test came in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap, run over at a distance of 1 1/8 miles under usual jockey Javier Castellano. Rule was up against the likes of Giant Oak and Morning Line in the meet.
Low on confidence, Rule broke steadily out of the gates, keeping a good pace and putting himself in a position where he could take on the leaders easily at a safe distance.
With high class competition, the 4-year-old Rule under Castellano kept pressing onwards, but after the half mile mark, the pair decided to take it on to the next level.
They sprung up the pace as the rest of the field shifted to high gear.
Giant Oak out ran Morning Line on the stretch and took the lead and Rule tried taking over Morning Line but it was a tall order.
Morning Line already had gained up high momentum going for home, making the job for Rule more difficult as the pair fizzed through the wire to finish third.
Rule would be pointed to the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes with the purse of $750,000 as his next likely start.
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