NEWS: RACING

Tapitation makes his stakes debut a winning one in the Kingston

Monday, May 30th, 2016
NYRA/Chelsea Durand

NYRA/Chelsea Durand

By Bill Heller

The three past winners of the one-mile $125,000 Kingston Stakes, King Kreesa, Kharafa and Lubash, returned for the 38th running of the grass stakes Monday on Showcase Day at Belmont Park. Whisper Hill Farm’s idle, five-year-old Tapitation, who hadn’t even started in a stakes race, outran all three, winning the Kingston by a length and three-quarters in 1:35.62 on a yielding course, giving jockey Joel Rosario his third victory of the afternoon. King Kreesa nosed Kharafa for second, 2 ½ lengths clear of Lubash in fourth.

Tapitation was 7-2, King Kreesa and Jose Ortiz 5-2, Kharafa and Luis Saez 7-2 and Lubash and Junior Alvarado 9-1 in the field of nine.

Heading into the Kingston, nine-year-old Lubash, who had won more than $1.3 million, was only one-for-six on yielding courses. Seven-year-old King Kreesa, a $1.1 million earner, was zero-for-two and seven-year-old Kharafa, who had nearly $900,000 in earnings, one-for-two. Tapitation hadn’t encountered a yielding or a soft course in his first six turf tries.

Tapitation is a son of Tapit out of Derrianne by Cozzene who was bred by Waterville Lake Stables and is trained by Ralph Nicks. In his prior start, an open allowance/optional $62,500 claimer at Gulfstream Park, Tapitation finished fourth by 2 ¾ lengths at 4-1.

Credit Nicks with an outstanding job getting Tapitation ready for his first start in three months in the toughest field he’d ever faced.

“I thought he’d run good, but it is a step up in class, and you don’t know until you put them in there and see what happens,” Nicks’ assistant, Heather Smullen, said.

Taking advantage of the rail, Macagone and Manuel Franco streaked to the lead as King Kreesa and 17-1 Iron Power and Jose Lezcano disputed second and third in a fast opening quarter of :22.60. Tapitation was last. Macagone stretched his lead from one length to two, but he had to run a half-mile in a demanding :45.35 half-mile. Tapitation, was still last, five lengths behind next-to-last 13-1 Captain Gaughen. “I was very happy because it looked like the pace was very fast in front of me,” Rosario said.

Macagone held on to a rapidly-decreasing lead around the far turn as both King Kreesa and Kharafa drew closer. Kharafa closed in from fourth. Behind them, Rosario had navigated Tapitation inside two horses before angling him six-wide around the far turn.

After three-quarters in 1:09.16, King Kreesa opened a two-length lead on Kharafa in second. But Tapitation was third and gaining quickly on both of them.

Tapitation powered past both to win going away. King Kreesa gamely nosed Kharafa for second on a head bob. And Lubash, who was fifth in his nine-year-old debut April 10th, closed well to finish an improved fourth.

“He did it on his own,” Rosario said. “I was just a passenger.”

Tapitation improved his grass record to four-for-seven with one third. He also a victory and a pair of seconds from four dirt starts for combined earnings of more than $260,000.

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