For the longest time in the route, it looked like two 3-year-olds, who were trained by Rick Dutrow Jr.
Then the mileage-and-at-night race, which is advertised as a springboard for the Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 7 (G1), has a preview of what could actually happen in the last stage of the triple crown.
Rally from eighth place in the field of nine, amo racing USA's Hill Road In the last Furlong closed powerfully to collect the dueling Dutrow duo from to McAfee And Captain Cook and win the Peter Pan by three quarters of a length on May 10th Aqueduct racing route.
“This horse wants one and a half miles,” said coach Chad Brown.
A son of Quality road Hill Road started his career in the lawn in Ireland last year and was then sent to the USA, where he took a promising third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) for coach Adrian Murray. He stayed here and was sent to Brown and began his 3-year-old campaign in Tampa Bay Derby (G3), taking third place again.
Register Bloodhorse Daily
Brown viewed the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) as an admission ticket for the Kentucky Derby (G1), but the Colt developed fever and missed the race that left it without the necessary qualification points to contest the triple crown's opening.
Brown, who was bred in Kentucky by Lynch Bages and Camas Park Stud in Kentucky, wanted the Belmont with the Peter Pan as a jumping board against the 1 1/4 miles.
“I would like to thank the owner (Kia Joorabchian). It would have been effortless for him to say: 'The preakness is effortless. I want to go.' But he starts building an impressive stable in America and it is a pleasure to work with him, “said Brown. “He revolves around his horse and listens to his coach. He laid me out a plan to get to Belmont and didn't appreciate myself.”
As much as a great effort in Belmont would alleviate the pain to miss the Kentucky Derby, it was tough at the time to accept the turn of fate in front of the wood that the stallion foal struck from the image of Kentucky Derby.
“It is a tough call when you have a horse that has a quarter to do a quarter and a quarter in its 3-year season,” said Brown. “This was a horse that was a horse in the derby. But the owner took it as much as possible and we started to formulate plan B..”
Hill Road and Rider Flavien Prat after winning Peter Pan Stakes
In the last phases of Peter Pan, Dutrow saw an abrupt change to three -crown ideas.
The captain of Stable Stable Stable Cook took the lead before the first round in the 1 1/8 mile missions for 3 year olds and the son of Scrap Was there home when he fought McAfee with stables?
McAfee, A Cloud computing Half -brother to rule the horse of the year Thorpedo Anna Third was behind the early breast of his stole from: 47: 26 and 1: 11.57. The two were then side by side and on the eighth pole they had 3 1/2 lengths on the Hill Road and Jockey Flavien Prat, but it wasn't enough.
Black full blood, Swinbank stables, Judy Hicks and Scott Rices McAfee took second place over Captain Cook, the Withes Stakes winner, who was the 7-5 favorite.
“It was electrifying for us,” said Dutrow. “I was very satisfied with McAfee's race, and that could be a bit too far than (Captain Cook) to run against the top. But he didn't show up. Both horses ran substantial.”
While Captain Cook may try shorter races or lighter two-gymnastics races, Dutrow did not completely beat the door when McAfee run into the 1 1/4 miles of stakes.
“He surprised me today and it was a very good surprise,” said Dutrow about fifth place in the wood. “I liked to see him run and (Jockey John Velazquez) said he galloped incredibly.
McAfee is not nominated for the triple crown and would have to be supplemented to Belmont at a price of $ 50,000.
Hill Road ($ 6.10), the 2-1 second choice, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1: 49.22.
He won two of his five career starts from the exotic performance of Lemon Drop Kid Mare. He is the second winner of the year for Sire Quality Road, which stands for the breeding season of 2025 at the end of 2025 for $ 150,000.
