Adam Coglianese
Red and Black Stable’s Weekend Hideaway (Speightstown), who was voted New York-bred juvenile champion in 2012, parlayed a confidence-building win in a conditioned allowance at Belmont Park on July 11 into his fourth career stakes victory when he outran the highly competitive field of the $100,000 John Morrissey for New York-bred sprinters going 6 1/2 furlongs on the Saratoga main track.
Weekend Hideaway’s score improves his record to six wins, three seconds and three thirds from 16 starts and boosts his earnings to $440,572.
Moonlight Song got the jump on the field, but breaking alertly from post three (of eight) Weekend Hideaway (fourth choice in the betting at 6-1 odds) made his way to the lead under jockey Jose Lezcano and proceeded to clock demanding fractions of 22.00 and 44.80 with Moonlight Song in hot pursuit. Set down in upper stretch, Weekend Hideaway opened up a little extra distance on his rivals under a hand ride, then dug to open up to a two-length victory at the wire.
The next four horses crossed the line in a blanket photo finish, with Big Business finishing second, a head in front of West Hills Giant, who crossed a nose ahead of Saratoga Snacks. Moonlight Song finished a neck behind. Brigand, Quick Money and Amberjack completed the order of finish. The winner’s final time over the fast going was 1:15.83. [VIDEO]
Lezcano, familiar with Weekend Hideaway from having ridden the 4-year-old colt for all but four races, said, “I let him use his early speed. Sometimes in the gate, he misses the break. But today he broke good and settled in front. When I asked, he gave me what I needed to win the race. He’s a very nice colt; I’ve always thought he’s had plenty of talent. Sometimes, I’ve felt like he’s lost the race in the gate when he’s broken badly. But today, he broke perfect.”
Phil Serpe who trains Weekend Hideaway for Red and Black Stable said, “I was a little concerned when they first broke, because I didn’t see our horse anywhere, but I wasn’t surprised to see him on the lead. And Jose was just sitting on him; his arms weren’t moving at all. When [Tom] Durkin called the :44 and change, I was a little concerned, but I figured the track was a little bit tight after the rain.”
Serpe also commented more generally, “Our horse has been training great, and I kind of thought he was getting the Rodney Dangerfield treatment a little bit. He’s now got six wins in 16 starts, with three seconds and three thirds, so you can’t look away from that. But we were very happy because our horse was training great into the race. We’re really happy for Mike Hoffman and his crew from Red and Black Stable, because they’re great people.”
Bred by the late Carl Lizza’s Flying Zee Stables, for whom Serpe was a long-time trainer, and foaled at Highcliff Farm in Delanson, Weekend Hideaway is the first foal and only starter out of New York-bred Apocalyptical, an unplaced New York-bred daughter of Wiseman’s Ferry. Weekend Hideaway was purchased by Michael Hoffman’s Red and Black Stable for $40,000 in the yearling portion of the Flying Zee Dispersal in October 2011.
Weekend Hideaway flashed talent from the start. Less than three weeks after breaking his maiden at second asking by 6 3/4 lengths in the slop at Saratoga in 2012, he returned to take the David Stakes for New York-bred juveniles by a similar margin over a dry strip. In September he earned graded black type at Belmont in September with a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Futurity and wrapped up the year by defeating 13 to win the Bertram F. Bongard on Showcase Day by 2 1/2 lengths.
Completing his sophomore campaign with a record of one win and one second from five starts he collected his third stakes victory on the turf, with a sizzling frontrunning victory in the open Gone Fishin overnight stakes for 3-year-olds. In five starts this year, he led up to his back-to-back victories with competitive placings in the Affirmed Success and Commentator.
