By ED FOUNTAINE
June 1, 2008
Good thing yesterday wasn't next Saturday, or crowd for Belmont Stakes would be soaked to skin. Fierce thundershowers passed over before the second race, turning track sloppy, sealed. By third race, sun was out. Rain turned turf from firm to good. Lucky for NYRA racing office, which carded turf races for 5-of-6 races in pick 6 with $166G carryover, those races stayed on the turf.
Raw Silk, a 3-year-old filly who set the pace, finished third making stakes debut in mile-and-sixteenth Gaviola over Belmont turf last out for Tom Albertrani, was 8-1 in Grade 2, $150,000 Sands Point at mile-and-eighth over inner course. With Alan Garcia riding her for the first time, Raw Silk galloped away to early daylight lead and just cruised around, unmolested to score by 41/4 lengths over 6-5 favorite Life Is Sweet, who came on late to save exacta players, catching I Lost My Choo by nose.
FIRST RACE: Nothing like a hungry rider. Jeffrey Sanchez, out to impress local horseman after recent arrival from Florida, rallied in stretch aboard 2-1 Wolf Trap, trying to squeeze past front-running Lieutenant Danz, 9-2, through narrow hole along rail. Jose Bermudez, riding Lieutenant Danz, didn't want to let him through and rode him tight, leaning on Wolf Trap in long duel through final furlong. But Sanchez finally punched through to get up late, and at the wire came out to give Bermudez a tit-for-tat bump.
THIRD RACE: In mile-and-a-half marathon, Sanchez came through inside again turning for home on 5-1 Lorccan to win going away. Sanchez could have future. His agent, Steve Adika, guided rise to stardom of Mike Smith, Robbie Davis and others.
PICK SIX
Winning numbers: 5-2-6-4-6-9
3 winners (6 of 6) each paid $186,012
119 consolations (5 of 6) paid $1,097
No carryover
