NYRA/Adam Coglianese
By Sarah Mace
The old adage is that “pace makes the race,” and that certainly held true in this year’s renewal of the seven-furlong, $125,000 Mike Lee Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-olds at Belmont Park. After a pair of blazing pacesetters — and favorites — dueled one another into defeat, Bing Cherry Racing’s Bust Another (Bustin Stones) took full advantage and gave trainer Michael Pino a solid longshot stakes victory.
Shortly after the break, the two post time favorites Sudden Surprise (2.20-1) and Championofthenile (1.95-1) gunned to the front and proceeded to blaze their way through a 22.05 quarter and 44.86 half, while 19-1 Bust Another sat four lengths off the pace in third.
With five-sixteenths left to go, jockey Eric Cancel began to ask his mount for more, entered the stretch four wide and rallied to take command just outside the furlong marker. Keeping his mind on business to the wire, Bust Another crossed the wire a 3 1/4-length winner. After six furlongs in 1:10.32, the final time of the race was 1:23.94. Mind Your Biscuits (12-1) closed from sixth to get the place while Championofthenile hung on for third. Taoiseach, Vincento, Cards of Stone, Sudden Surprise and Lucky Lurie completed the order of finish. [VIDEO]
Cancel said, “This horse has improved a lot. I’m really happy with his training and how he’s been running for Mike Pino. I had been really close to the pace with him and he struggled a little bit, but today it didn’t seem to bother him. Being too close to the pace, trying to go with the other horses, he gives more than he’s got and at the end he flattens out a little bit. But today, I had the perfect trip and he finished strongly.”
A winner of two out of three starts for Kuehne Racing et al, Bust Another was claimed by Bing Cherry Racing’s Scott Zimmerman for $32,000.
Zimmerman said, “I liked the way he tried. I thought he had a future and we took a shot and won a four-way shake to get him and it worked out. We’ll keep experimenting and trying but he’s a nice horse who tries all the time. We’ll see how he comes out of the race and we’ll look to Saratoga.”
From five wins and a second in eight starts overall, Bust Another has earned $22,630.
Bred by Casey Newick, Bust Another is one of four winners and three stakes winners from four foals to start out of I Drink Alone, a winning New York-bred daughter of Intidab. Her other stakes winners are Bustin It and May Shares.
Bust Another passed twice though the sales ring, purchased for $48,000 as a weanling at the OBS fall mixed sale by Jumping Jack Racing, then my Mareina Racing at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale for $80,000.
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