Second Straight Front-Running Score for 3YO Justify Colt
BALTIMORE – Bobby Flay Thoroughbreds and James Ventura’s Triple Crown-nominated Crudo put on a command performance in just his third career start to romp by 7 ½ lengths at Pimlico Race Course in Saturday’s $100,000 Sir Barton, sponsored by Spendthrift Farm to Benefit the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
The 27th running of the 1 1/16-mile Sir Barton for 3-year-old non-winners of an open sweepstakes was the sixth of 10 stakes, five graded, worth $3.3 million in purses on a spectacular 14-race program headlined by the historic 150th Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.
With John Velazquez riding for trainer Todd Pletcher, both Hall of Famers, Crudo ($9.40) completed the distance over a fast main track in 1:44 to register his second straight win, each in front-running fashion. Pletcher and Velazquez also teamed up to win the 2019 Sir Barton with King for a Day.
Velazquez previously won the Sir Barton in 2023 with Arabian Lion for trainer Bob Baffert while Pletcher took the 2006 edition with High Cotton, ridden by late jockey Garrett Gomez. Baffert and Gomez are also enshrined in the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame.
Crudo was away alertly from his rail position and settled on the lead racing in the two path with 1-2 favorite Invictus further out in second and Bestfriend Rocket saving ground on the rail in third. The first quarter-mile went in 23.32 and a half followed in 46.86, when Velazquez set Crudo down for a drive straightening for home and he responded by opening up daylight on his rivals.
Just a Fair Shake made a run on the far outside to be second, 3 ½ lengths in front of Invictus, followed by Bear Claw Necklace, Authentic Gallop, Bestfriend Rocket and Bold Diversion. Mr. Bogan and Hymn were scratched.
Crudo, a $350,000 yearling by 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, went unraced at 2 and was a troubled fourth as the favorite in his Feb. 8 unveiling at Gulfstream Park. He had a clean trip when stretched out to seven furlongs in an April 19 maiden special weight at Keeneland and won by 7 ¼ lengths.
Sir Barton won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont in 1919, becoming the first horse to sweep what wouldn’t become known as the Triple Crown until Gallant Fox matched the feat in 1930. He won or placed in all 13 of his starts as a 3-year-old and retired in 1920 with 13 wins from 31 races. Based in Maryland with Hall of Fame trainer H. Guy Bedwell, Sir Barton was inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame in 1957.
$100,000 Sir Barton Quotes
Winning Trainer Todd Pletcher (Crudo) — “We’ve been looking forward to getting him stretched out around two turns and he handled that really well. He got a good trip, got to the first turn in good position and got into a good rhythm. That is what he has been showing us in the morning. A talented colt. We were a little disappointed in his debut (4th at Gulfstream as the 4-5 favorite) because he had trained lights out. He came out of that race with some minor issues that we had to address and once he has come back, he has trained dynamite. His race at Keeneland was pretty easy and today was very impressive as well. [Invictus] was the big favorite and we just wanted to get to the first turn in good position and we figured he would be stalking us, which he was. It looked like they both got into a good rhythm and fortunately our colt kept going.”
(Could he show up in the Belmont Stakes (G1) in June?): “You know what? We just approached today like kind of seeing where we are and we’ll see how he bounces out of it. There are a lot of big races all summer. We’ve got options with a colt that has shown some promise.”
Winning Jockey John Velazquez (Crudo) — “The horse is very green. Galloping, he ducked from every bush, everything that the infield had, and I’m worried. I’ve got post position one. I’m jogging back and forth on the rail so he could see it. Back and forth. Back and forth.
“He broke well enough and let me get off the rail and keep everybody out there and it worked out for us. Good thing that he broke good enough to do that. He allowed me to do that and get off the rail so he could see everything, every spot with the bushes. I don’t know why he was ducking away, but he almost [unseated] me on the warmup.”