Adam Coglianese
Chevalier Stable’s Sinistra, a 4-year-old gelding by New York-based Stonesider (Saratoga Stud LLC), won his first stakes victory in Thursday’s $100,000 Evan Shipman Stakes for New York-breds as the longest shot on the board at 27-1, while giving trainer Karl Grusmark his first stakes win at the Spa. The Evan Shipman, run at 1 1/8 miles over a sloppy (sealed) main track, is the first of 10 stakes restricted to New York-breds on the Saratoga calendar.
Sinistra, who was making his Saratoga debut in his twenty-second career start, was forwardly placed by jockey Rosie Napravnik after the break and navigated the clubhouse turn three wide, two lengths behind speedsters Escapefromreality and Big Business.
Still three wide around the far turn in third position, Sinistra came under a ride at the top of the stretch and edged closer to the leaders.
Still with a length to make up with a furlong to go, Sinistra kept on advancing and just got up in the final jumps to secure the victory over Big Business by a head. Escapefromreality finished a neck back in third. Completing the order of finish were Awesome Vision, Sailmate, Beautyinthepulpit, Moneyinyour Pocket and Fox Rules. After moderate early fractions of 24.59, 49.90 and 1:14.55 in the mud, and mile run in 1:39.17, the final time for nine furlongs was 1:51.96. [VIDEO]
Napravnik, aboard Sinistra for the first time, said, “We sat pretty close to the pace, and I think he’s the type of horse where he doesn’t have a huge kick but he’ll keep grinding away, and he was sticking his neck out. Karl [Grusmark] told me he was kind of one-paced. He just kept grinding away. He’s a horse with a lot of heart.”
Grusmark said, “I’ve won races here through the years since the ’70s and this is the first stake [I’ve won] at this track. It’s very exciting. Anytime you win a good race, it’s very satisfying.”
In in his only prior stakes appearance Sinistra had finished a close second to graded stakes winner Zivo in the Kings Point at Aqueduct in February at 29-1, and his winning performance in the Shipman came as less of a surprise to his trainer than to most.
Said Grusmark, “We weren’t considered to be a good choice by the public, but we knew this horse loved the mud and he loved the distance. We’ve never had a chance to run him a mile and an eighth. This was his first opportunity and he ran like we thought he would. He’s just kind of a plodder. You get him in a good position early and he just kind of stays and wears horses down.”
When asked what he plans next for his charge, Grusmark said “The next New York-bred stakes race!” Sinistra, who raced throughout the winter at Aqueduct, cleared his state-bred conditions in late June. He has four wins, six seconds and three thirds from 22 starts and has earned $258,259
Bred by Edward L. Shapoff, foaled at Rojan Farm in Schuylerville and campaigned under the banner of Shapoff’s Chevalier Stable, Sinistra is one of three winners, and the first black type winner out of Margin for Error, Chevalier Stable’s placed daughter of Dixie Brass.
