Rosbrian Farm's Teodoro and jockey Ross Geraghty were by themselves as they jumped a fence early in Saratoga's allowance hurdle. (Tod Marks photo)
Rosbrian Farm’s Teodoro jumped out to a huge lead in Saratoga Race Course’s $65,000 allowance hurdle and maintained that gaping lead to the finish line for a 33¾-length victory on Wednesday.
Armata Stables’ Zanzi Win, making his second U.S. start, rolled into second early in Saratoga’s stretch and finished second, 5 1/4 lengths ahead of Eve Ledyard’s Go Get the Basil. Lee Potoik’s Roller Rolls On finished fourth and Hepcat was fifth.
Saratoga’s bettors correctly forecast that Teodoro would sprint away from his competitors and made him the 3-to-2 favorite. The five-year-old by prominent Irish stallion Teofilo paid $3.50 to win after running the allowance hurdle’s 2 3/8 miles in 4:29.25 on firm turf.
Both of the top finishers are trained by Ricky Hendriks. Ross Geraghty rode Teodoro, and Mark Mitchell was astride Zanzi Win.
From his first start in the U.S., Teodoro has played only one game, and that has been on the front end. He jumped out to a big lead in a Middleburg Spring maiden hurdle in April, but his erratic jumping was giving fits to Geraghty, and he was caught in the stretch by the promising Sportswear, who won by 2¼ lengths over Teodoro in second.
In his next outing, at the Fair Hill Races on May 25, Hendriks and Geraghty had solved most of the jumping issues, and Teodoro won by 14 lengths.
Possessing superior speed against Wednesday’s competitors, Teodoro encountered no opposition as he hurtled to a commanding lead around Saratoga’s far turn the first time, although owner-trainer Jonathan Sheppard’s Hepcat, ridden by Gerard Galligan, attempted to stay in touch with the leader.
Go Get the Basil, trained by Sheppard and ridden by Jack Doyle, was in third position for much of the trip, with Zanzi Win and Mitchell a short distance behind them in the field of seven.
After they jumped the last fence, located at the end of Saratoga’s backstretch, Geraghty took a quick look back and, seeing no one close, allowed Teodoro to gallop to the finish line. Still, he was drawing farther away from his opponents.
He led by 18 lengths at the last fence and by 30 at the furlong pole before increasing that margin to the finish line.
Mitchell asked Zanzi Win to make his move on the final turn, and they overtook first Go Get the Basil and Hepcat in early stretch before drawing clear from the remainder of the field.
Wednesday’s allowance hurdle concluded Saratoga’s steeplechase racing for the 2019 season. After New York Racing Association racing moves south to Belmont Park after Labor Day, steeplechase racing will be featured the $75,000 William Entenmann Memorial Novice Hurdle on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and the $150,000 Lonesome Glory Handicap (Gr. 1) the following afternoon.