NYRA/Adam Coglianese
by Sarah Mace
On the heels of a nightmare trip in the Grade 2 Brooklyn Invitational on Belmont Day, Effinex, Tri-Bone Stables’ accomplished son of Mineshaft, rebounded in a big way on Saturday when he edged multiple Grade 1 winner Tonalist in Belmont Park’s Grade 2, $500,000 Suburban Handicap in a thrilling finish
Starting for the fourth time this year in the Suburban, Effinex had won his first two starts of 2015 commandingly at Aqueduct – an allowance/optional claimer at one mile and 70 yards in his seasonal debut and the Grade 3 Excelsior at 1 1/4 miles on April 25, for each of which he earned a triple digit Beyer. In the Brooklyn on June 6, however, he bolted to the outside rail on the far turn after trying to get out along the backstretch, and was eased.
Trainer Jimmy Jerkens, who on Saturday added a bit designed to correct a horse that lugs in or gets out, said, “Today he wore a Houghton bridle, which gives you more control. But I’m sure he would have been fine with the other bridle; he was a different horse today. Maybe the crowd on Belmont Day got him all worked up, or he was in a sour frame of mind with the long post parade; that might have had something to do with it. He was as kind as could be today, the whole time.”
Another change for Effinex on Saturday was a new pilot, Junior Alvarado.
Going off as the 6-1 third choice in the six-horse field, Effinex enjoyed a ground-saving trip in the early stages of the 1 1/4-mile race, settling in fifth in a strung-out field behind a blistering pace set by longshot Street Babe with Coach Inge in hot pursuit (22.80, 46.13). The one horse who trailed Effinex was 8-5 favorite Tonalist, who also loped along at the rear.
Advancing closer to the leaders at the rail along the backstretch, but not moving with real urgency yet, Effinex allowed Tonalist begin his bid in earnest alone as the field entered the far turn, only beginning to move on his own account midway through the bend.
Coming off the rail into the three-path as he entered the stretch, and advancing into second to the inside of Tonalist in third, Effinex set his sights on new leader Coach Inge.
NYRA/Adam Coglianese
Tonalist nearly kept pace with Effinex and in the final sixteenth the pair passed Coach Inge on almost even terms. The New York-bred then dug in for the finish of his life, keeping a head in front for the victory. The top two finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Coach Inge in third. After one mile in 1:35.02, the final time for the ten furlongs was 2:01.55 [VIDEO]
Successful jockey Junior Alvarado said, “I got a great trip. They went really fast up front, which helped me to not fight with him too much, because he can be a little tough. I just tried to save ground as much as I could, and by the five-eighths pole I saw Johnny [Velazquez, aboard Tonalist] start to pick it up a little bit, so I kind of moved a little bit just to make sure I still had a good position, but I didn’t want to move that early.”
Of the final drive, Alvarado said, “I just waited a little bit and when we turned for home I saw Johnny push and push, but I didn’t see [Tonalist] picking it up. Tonalist kept fighting because he’s a good horse, but my horse fought back, too, and we got it done.”
Jerkens added, “During the stretch run, I was just happy he was going to run good. If he got beat by Tonalist, that wasn’t going to be a crime. And then when he gutted it out, golly, and Junior got the stick over in his left hand, and that’s what made the difference.” Jerkens’ final assessment: “[Today was great] for him, a New York-bred. He couldn’t get out of his two other than condition last spring, now he’s beating a horse like Tonalist. That doesn’t happen every day.”
Bred by Tri-Bone Stables’ Dr. Russell Cohen, Effinex is the only foal out of 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.
The winner of last year’s Empire Classic in addition to his scores this year in the Excelsior and Suburban, Effinex owns six wins, one second and two thirds in 15 starts and has earned $782,250.
Jerkens indicated that he would look next at the Grade 1 Whitney on August 8 for Effinex or the Grade 1 Woodward on September 5 in Saratoga.
