NYRA/Adam Coglianese
Barry Schwartz’s home-bred gelding Captain Serious, who had finished in second by three-quarters of a length to Kid Cruz in the Grade III Dwyer Stakes and a troubled third in the Grade II Amsterdam Stakes, figured to be the favorite in a field eight contesting the 37th running of the mile-and-an-eighth $250,000 Albany Stakes for three-year-old New York-breds, the feature race of Sunday’s Showcase Day. Captain Serious had blazing early speed and it appeared he could dictate the pace in the Albany. Accordingly, he went off the 9-5 favorite.
Apparently, the connections of one of his opponents in the Albany, Patricia Schuler’s gelding So Lonesome, never got the memo. So Lonesome, who is trained by Tom Bush, began his career with three dirt starts last year, winning his debut at Saratoga by a length and three-quarters at 2-1, then finishing second at 6-5 in an allowance race, and third in the $150,000 B.F. Bongard Stakes at 5-1.
He hadn’t raced on dirt since. He concluded his successful two-year-old campaign by winning his turf debut in the $100,000 Virgo Libra Stakes by a head at 6-1.
As a three-year-old, So Lonesome ran ninth in the Grade III Palm Beach Stakes. That’s when Bush decided to add blinkers. Regardless, in an obviously tough assignment, he finished seventh of 14 in the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes on the synthetic track at Keeneland after breaking slowly.
So Lonesome returned to grass, winning a state-bred allowance/optional claimer, then finishing third in the $100,000 Manila Stakes and sixth in the Grade II Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga in his last start before the Albany.
With Jose Lezcano aboard for the second straight time, So Lonesome went off at 9-1, breaking directly outside Captain Serious and jockey Jose Ortiz in post seven.
Captain Serious broke on the lead, but the lead didn’t last long as Lezcano absolutely gunned So Lonesome to the front, which he obtained quickly in a :23.04 opening quarter. Jose Ortiz settled Captain Serious in second, a length behind the front-runner while well clear of the others.
“Last time, I took too much of a hold on him,” Lezcano said. “He doesn’t want to run that way. He wants to run free. I let him run today, and he never stopped.”
Lezcano let So Lonesome roll to a three-length lead on Captain Serious after a half-mile in :47.13. Heading to the three-quarters, So Lonesome extended his margin to four lengths. But after So Lonesome completed three-quarters in 1:11.61, Captain Serious closed in.
Around the far turn and into the top of the stretch, Captain Serious got within three-quarters of a length of So Lonesome. Lezcano then let So Lonesome loose and he quickly opened his margin again, coasting home a four-length winner in 1:50.17. Effinex, sent off at 5-1, edged 23-1 Eye Luv Lulu by a head for second, and Captain Serious was fourth. [VIDEO]
So Lonesome is a son of Awesome Again out of Dash for Money by General Meeting who was bred by Waterville Lake Stables. He is now two-for-four on dirt with one second and one third, and two-for-five on grass with a third. He has earned more than $330,000 in 10 lifetime starts.
“The turf, I think, helped get the horse built up a bit,” Bush said. “He was always a lightly-built colt and he just needed a lot of time. He moves much better now on the dirt than he did when he was a young horse. I think he’s turned the corner.”
