SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Jockey Luis Saez rode four winners Friday, including three in stakes events, as New York-breds took center stage at Saratoga Race Course for New York Showcase Day, as part of a 12-race card containing six stakes for state-breds worth a combined $900,000.
In Race 11, the West Point, Saez again utilized a prominent approach taking Rinaldi to the lead through splits of :25.09, :50.39, and 1:13.61 on the good inner turf while under pressure from Blewitt.
Into the final turn of the 1 1/16-mile event, Rinaldi continued to find more, opening up a 2 1/2-length advantage at the stretch call and racing home a 1 1/2-length winner over Dot Matrix in a final time of 1:43.52.
Trainer Jimmy Bond stressed the importance of the New York-bred program after his Bond Racing Stable’s Rinaldi impressed in the West Point.
“It means everything,” said Bond. “My wife and I spend a lot of time and money to build up a nice operation, a farm. We have our own racing barn. To have this happen in these tough times for a lot of people is the icing on the cake today for us.”
Bred by Barry R. Ostrager, the 4-year-old Posse gelding improved his record to 7-4-1-1, while adding his third restricted stakes win after scores last year in the Spectacular Bid and Cab Calloway divisions of the New York Stallion Stakes Series.
“Luis is just amazing,” said Bond. “He got to the lead and we thought Blewitt might take a shot, but I know my horse on the front end is pretty strong. Luis made the lead and then backed them down a bit going into the turn. He’s a good turn horse because he’s small and compact. They came to him a little bit and Luis re-broke.”
Rinaldi paid $4.70.
