It’s the best present I’ve ever had.”ĭutrow had been out of the training profession since 2013 after having been suspended for 10 years by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, now the New York State Gaming Commission, in 2011. “We didn’t have confidence to win this race, we had confidence to run big, because he was training so good,” said Dutrow, who celebrated his 64th birthday on Saturday. I said, ‘OK, fine.’ I ended up riding the horse in this race, and here we are.” We got him ready for the Metropolitan, he ran big, so he told me keep working the horse. He took me all the way to the quarter pole nice and easy. “I knew when he broke good, with the speed in the race, I could sit second, third and go from there,” Ortiz said. His lead continued to lengthen as he approached the wire under a hand ride from Ortiz, who flashed the stick once inside the eighth pole. White Abarrio, meanwhile, tracked front-runner Giant Game closely in second place and took over at the quarter pole. I had never got this feeling with him before, and today I knew I was in trouble.” When I hit the three-eighths pole, I was very worried.
“That might have taken a little out of me, but I don’t think he ran his race today. “I don’t know, the ground broke underneath and he felt very awkward from behind,” Alvarado said.
