T Kraft put his nose down and Egyptian Mau pulled off a major upset at Belmont Park
The Bill Mott trainee narrowly held off a flying late surge from Crazy Mason in the Vosburgh Stakes (G3) to secure his starting spot in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1). Meanwhile, the South African-bred Egyptian Mau returned off a six-month layoff to defeat the males in the Belmont Turf Sprint Stakes (G3)
ELMONT, New York (Special for Turf Diario).— A nose separated T Kraft from frustration, and this time, the photo finish went his way. After missing out by the narrowest of margins in the Forego Stakes (G1), the Bill Mott trainee finally landed his first graded victory this Thursday in the Vosburgh Stakes (G3-1400 m, $250,000) at Belmont Park, earning a automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) as an added bonus.
The afternoon also produced a massive shock on the turf, where Egyptian Mau returned off a six-month layoff, tackled the males, and captured the Belmont Turf Sprint Stakes (G3-1200 m, $200,000) at odds of $64.10.
For T Kraft, the Vosburgh was another display of pure grit. Under Junior Alvarado, the Bill Mott runner established the early lead after Contrary Thinking (Into Mischief), considered the primary speed in the field, broke poorly. El Grando O (Take Charge Indy) pressed him hard, forcing opening fractions of 23s26/100 for the 400 meters and 46s16/100 for the 800.
T Kraft was never permitted to relax. He managed to shake off El Grando O turning into the lane and opened up a 1 1/2-length advantage, but fresh challengers immediately emerged.
Senior Officer (Into Mischief), the 9-5 favorite, and Buttah (Leofric) had tracked the pace from handy positions and launched the initial assault. T Kraft held them at bay, though the most dangerous threat was still to come.
Closing from eighth, Crazy Mason (Coal Front) uncorked a furious late rally. Manny Franco swung him wide entering the stretch, and the colt began devouring ground rapidly. For much of his drive he stayed on the left lead, but once he finally swapped leads, he re-accelerated and lunged at T Kraft in the final strides.
The wire arrived just in time for the pacesetter. The photo confirmed a nose victory, with T Kraft stopping the clock in 1m22s78/100 for the 1,400 meters. Senior Officer held third, 1 1/2 lengths back, while Buttah finished fourth, another 3/4 of a length behind.
“It was by a hair. It was so close I didn't know if I had won,” Alvarado admitted. “Crazy Mason came very strong, but my horse fought for me. I saw that the speed didn't show up, so I let him take the lead. I knew he likes to fight.”
From the Forego to the Breeders’ Cup The result offered a measure of redemption. In August's Forego (G1), Crazy Mason, T Kraft, and Senior Officer had finished virtually in a blanket, with the latter two dead-heating for second and all three separated by a head.
T Kraft had previously finished fourth in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1), proving he was on the doorstep of a breakthrough victory. “He’s improving with every race,” Mott noted.
The trainer must now decide whether to target the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), scheduled for October 31 at Keenelandover 1,200 meters.
The Vosburgh is part of the "Win and You're In" Challenge Series, with the victory securing his entry fees.
“If he’s doing well, the Breeders’ Cup is paying, so we’ll probably have to book a hotel room, get a flight to Lexington, and go cheer for T Kraft,” Mott joked. “It comes up fast and 1,200 meters might be a touch sharp for him, but he certainly belongs at that level. He showed that today.”
Egyptian Mau shocks the field If the finish of the Vosburgh was thrilling, Egyptian Mau provided the shocker of the afternoon. The South African-bred mare for Team Valor International had not raced since April, when she finished fifth at 43-1 in the Giant’s Causeway Stakes (L) at Keeneland, and was making her comeback directly against male opposition.
None of those obstacles proved insurmountable. Antonio Fresu, riding her for the first time, expected to settle much further back early on since she typically lacks gate speed. This time she broke cleanly and established position roughly three lengths off the lead.
Fresu immediately guided her to the rail to save ground while Jean Valjean set the pace, closely stalked by Waralo(War Dancer) and Chasing Liberty (Constitution).
That decision proved decisive. In mid-stretch, Chasing Liberty drifted off the rail, opening a seam along the fence. Egyptian Mau slipped right through and began surging inside as Waralo and Chasing Liberty battled up front.
All three hit the wire together. Egyptian Mau gained the upper hand right on the post to prevail by a neck over Waralo, with Chasing Liberty a head back in third. Alogon (California Chrome) finished fourth, another length back. The winner completed the 1,200 meters over the inner turf in 1m08s85/100.
“She usually breaks very slowly,” Fresu explained. “Today she broke better, I tucked her along the rail, and tried to save as much ground as possible. When the opening appeared, I took it. But above all, she showed tremendous courage.”
Conditioned by Neil Drysdale, Egyptian Mau had been given a refresher after three demanding starts between January and April. Since mid-August, she had been working steadily at Belmont as part of a six-horse string the trainer keeps in New York for the fall.
“I thought she might tire slightly late because she had been off for so long, but she fought all the way to the wire,” noted John O’Donoghue, assistant to Drysdale.
The South African mare secured her fourth win from 15 career starts. Belmont delivered two blanket finishes and two distinct storylines: T Kraft finally claimed the graded victory he had been chasing to earn a path to the Breeders’ Cup, while Egyptian Mau needed just one race to turn a six-month absence into one of the biggest upsets of the autumn meet.
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