NYRA/Adam Coglianese
Tri-Bone Stables homebred Effinex (Mineshaft), winner of last year’s Empire Classic, spoiled the Aqueduct return of his more celebrated stablemate Wicked Strong, winner of the 2014 Grade 1 Wood Memorial, with a determined victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, 4-year-old Effinex was unplaced in two prior graded stakes tries against older horses last year, finishing eighth the Grade 1 Wood Memorial and fourth in the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap. The colt came into the 1 1/4-mile Excelsior in sharp form, however, having won his seasonal debut at Aqueduct on March 27, an open optional-claimer over a muddy (sealed) track, by 3 1/2 lengths for which he earned a career high Beyer Speed Figure of 100. He breezed twice in the interim, including a seven-furlong move on April 16.
Breaking from post two of six at odds of 6-1 under Angel Arroyo, Effinex set up in fifth, saving ground around the first turn and settling in for a comfortable trip down the backstretch behind pacesetter Red Rifle, who carved out opening fractions of 24.55 and 49.23, pursued by 3-5 favorite Wicked Strong.
Beginning his winning bid around the three-eighths marker, Effinex swung four-wide into the stretch, pulled even with Red Rifle with a furlong to go and dug in gamely. Wearing down his rival and gaining the advantage in the final sixteenth of a mile, Effinex edged away gamely to garner the win by three-quarters of a length in a final time of 2:02.16. Red Rifle finished second followed by Wicked Strong, Micromanage, Turco Bravo, and Stormin Monarcho. North Slope and Cousin Stephen were scratched. [VIDEO]
Arroyo said, “I had the best trip. I was able to break good and relax behind the speed. I waited for the stretch, and my horse responded when I asked. He’s a nice horse.”
Jerkens explained how he has structured the beginning of the New York-bred’s 4-year-old year. “[Effinex] had a long campaign last year, going against older horses” said Jerkens. “After he ran lackluster on New Year’s Eve [fourth-place finish in the Alex M. Robb Stakes], we decided there was no sense in knocking him out. We thought that if we gave him a late spring campaign, we could give him his best shot to become a better horse because he had run pretty hard last year.”
Jerkens said there are no definite plans in the works for a next start for Effinex. As to heavy favorite Wicked Strong, Jerkens added that he felt it was a “good effort,” considering the distance. “He’ll be back.”
Effinex, a late nomination to 2014 Triple Crown Series, has a history of confounding the betting public. Having broken his maiden in his second start via a disqualification on March 1 last year, he romped in a state-bred allowance three weeks later at odds of 28-1. A well-supported runner up to So Lonesome in last year’s Albany at Saratoga, he was dismissed two starts later at odds of 17-1 in the Empire Classic Handicap, the marquis race of Empire Showcase Day last October and his best performance prior to the Excelsior.
Bred by Dr. Russell Cohen, whose mother is the principal of Tri-Bone Stables, Effinex is the only foal produced by multiple stakes winning Tri-Bone homebred What a Pear by E Dubai. Tri-Bone purchased What a Pear’s dam Perfect Pair as a juvenile at OBS in 1999 for $28,000.
Following his fifth victory, along with a second and two thirds, Effinex has earned $507,250 from 14 career starts.
Past New York-bred winners of the Excelsior in its 103-year history include Funny Cide (2004), Giant Moon (2009) and Inherit the Gold (2011).
