The Upper New York Special

Class told in the Upper New York Special Stakes as the top four choices filled the top four spots.  Overall fourteen horses lined up for the Grade Two worth $150,000. Flip Flop Tip Top (Henny Hughes) was favored based on three strong stakes runs – a win in the Elite Groom Ted Dirt Juvenile, second by a length in the Grade Three Montana Futurity and fifth beaten only three lengths in the Grade Two Horserhead Juvenile.  Second choice was Fleetwood Forest (Forestry) who was also coming off three stakes races – a win in the Wonderboy Eamon Dirt Juvenile, second by a nose in the Grade Two Vermont BB Juvenile and sixth in the Grade Two Hoserhead Juvenile.  Co-third choices were Golden Gimlet (Tanino Gimlet) and Major Alex (Daiwa Major).  Golden Gimlet was making his stakes debut off three straight wins.  Major Alex was the only graded winner in the field, having taken the Grade Three Manor of Bashford Stakes in his last start.

Fleetwood Forest came out of the gate like a rocket trying to take the field wire to wire.  He set testing fractions throughout the race.  Golden Gimlet tracked in second, while Major Alex was third early on.  Flip Flop Tip Top, as is his style, dropped well back early.  He was tenth at both the first and second call of the race.  Halfway through the race Fleetwood Forest opened up a 2 ¾ lengths lead over Golden Gimlet and Major Alex who had edged closer.  Entering the stretch those two still trailed Fleetwood Forest by 2 ¼ lengths but Major Alex unleashed a furious rally to run past Fleetwood Forest.  Just as Major Alex put a neck in front Fleetwood Forest battled back bravely closing the distance to a final nose loss.  Golden Gimlet held well for third 1 ¾ lengths behind while Flip Flop Tip Top closed well to be fourth, beaten three lengths.

The win is just the second graded race for the young Jet Stables (the first being the Manor of Bashford).  The winning trainer must obviously now be considering the Breeders Bowl Juvenile for his young charge.  The 97sp shared by both Major Alex and Fleetwood Forest is the highest juvenile sp of the year.  The win likely propelled Major Alex to the top of the two year old dirt sprint ratings. 

Interestingly the top ranked turf route two year old is also a son of Daiwa Major, a young stallion from Japan.  Daiwa Major is in his third year at stud and has produced 70.8% winners, 3.2% stakes winners and 1.6% graded winners.  A son of Sunday Silence out of the stakes winning mare Scarlet Bouquet by Northern Taste, Daiwa Major was a multiple Group One winner in his native country and was named Champion Sprinter/Miler in 2006.  Major Alex is out of the f-grade Awesome Again x Storm Cat mare Beatbenwithastick.  She has produced two other foals, a graded winner by A.P. Indy and an allowance runner by the same sire.