Upgrade showed some good energy at the end to win the Jaipur Stakes
Christophe Clement trained French-bred, Right One, was the one to look out for in the Grade 3, $150,000 Jaipur Stakes at Belmont Park’s turf course on 8 June, 2012, as he was bidding to down the seven furlong race twice in two years.
However, Dennis Narlinger and JMJ Racing Stables’ Upgrade has other plans. The 5-year-old Michelle Nihei trainee broke with the leaders under jockey John Velazquez as a 5 to 1 shot, but was pegged back as he settled in the mid pack.
Patrick J. Kelly trained, Yield Bogey was the one who flew off to the lead with jockey Edgar Prado, and led, Boots Ahead, by a fine margin of one length as he carved the quarter mile-splits in 23.06 seconds, and went half-mile in 45.56 seconds.
Javier Castellano was aboard, Bergerac for trained Chad Brown, and the duo made themselves prominent in third, as the chased the pace, while the second favourite, Right One, let the runners go lose as he tracked them with precision.
Bred in Kentucky by Mike Anderson Thoroughbreds, Upgrade was second last as he rounded off the bend, but John Velazquez was in no hurry to hit the gas early, as he searched for a viable opening to go all out.
Coming in the upper stretch, Upgrade found some room and cut two runners in half and reached contention on the outside, as he jumped one over his rival and pace setter, Yield Bogey, in the final furlong to finish with some good energy.
“This horse really has deserved this from the day he walked into the barn," Nihei said. "It’s been a little bit of a roller coaster with that last race. The stretch out was a little bit too long for him."
“He was going really well the whole way around," Velazquez said after riding Upgrade for the first time. "I was just hoping I’d get a little room to get him running. After that, he was pretty good. I pulled him out, and I worked him, and he did it pretty easily.”
The son of Saint Liam was coming off a fifth place finish in the 1 1/16 mile Grade 3 Fort Marcy at Belmont Park.
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