Race #6 14:40 The Knickerbocker Handicap – Grade III
1 1/8 Mile Inner Turf Stake Purse $100.000 Open 3 Year Olds And Up.
Here at BEL on Sunday, Angelos Stable managed to win their third graded company event of the month as Mardelatranquilidad’s (0.75) would go three for three since early September as he won the Gr. III Knickerbocker Stakes by three quarters of a length. The victory would be a repeat performance for the Angelos team as they captured this very event last season with Sancho Panza.
Going directly to the frontend, Mardelatranquilidad would make the rail from his number three gate start and lead the field around the clubhouse turn and onto the backstretch. His closest rival as he hit the backstretch would be Aberford’s Lets Pay Attention ( 1.65) who sat a length and a quarter back, with Meat’s Yellow Taxi ( 9.65) sitting to that ones outside flank
After posting an opening half mile of 49.28 and a three quarter time of 1:12.57 ( 23.29), the leader was still on top by a length and a half and was in complete control through the final turn to the top of the stretch. Lets Pay Attention was starting to make up ground on the leader as they hit the three sixteenth pole, now just three quarters of a length out. YellowTaxi had slipped back by three lengths while Petty Farm’s Lil J T ( 6.95 ) was four out, with Maverick Racing’s Shelleys Day ( 42.15) trailing by five and a quarter.
After a mile time of 1:35.34 ( 22.77), Mardelatranquilidad would never relinquish the lead over Lets Pay Attention and hit the wire in a final time of 1:46.70. The win would be Mardelatranquilidad’s first ever Graded company victory, an the four year old chestnut’s seventh of the season in eleven starts. His career earnings now top $393.000.
For runner-up Lets Pay Attention, his efforts have put his trainer at his closest point at winning a Graded victory. He came very close just eight days earlier when Tampa Force placed second in the Gr. III Ballerina BC race missing by four lengths. ” Lets Pay Attention ran his heart out,” Martin from Abefords stated as he walked his horse back to the barns. ” I thought at the eighth pole he was going to nail it, but he couldnt bridge that last length, ” he added. When asked about his efforts Martin finished by saying,” For a $1 claimer to second in a Gr. III event twelve months later, hes definitely a star to me.”
While Yellow Taxi would round out the 14.80 trifecta payout, Lil J T would finish seven back in fourth as Shelleys Day missed by eight in fifth.
| ## | Horse Name | Owner Name | Jockey | Wt | Amt Won | Time | Cl | ||
| Mardelatranquilidad | Angelos Stable | Dominguez R A | 120 | 60.00 | 1:46.70 | — | ||
| Lets Pay Attention | Aberford | Garcia Alan | 119 | 20.00 | 1:46.86 | — | ||
| Yellow Taxi | Meat | Castellano J J | 118 | 16.00 | 1:48.04 | — | ||
| Lil J T | Petty Farms | Coa E M | 120 | 4.00 | 1:48.16 | — | ||
| Shelleys Day | Maverick Racing | Fragoso P | 118 | 1:48.37 | — |
Track: Firm
Written by McDuffy, republished with permission of and first published at – SimRacing Form.