NYRA/Chelsea Durand
By Sarah Mace
Overcoming a stumble at the break which left him last in the opening strides, Runaway Lute (Midnight Lute) went on to score an impressive eight-plus length victory in Saturday’s 125,000 Rockville Centre for New York-bred 2-year-olds at Belmont Park. The dark bay son of Midnight Lute remains unbeaten in two career starts with $111,000 in earnings.
Trained by Gary Contessa for Herald Lerner and Nehoc Stables’, Runaway Lute ran true to his name in his Belmont unveiling on May 28, when he won by 12 lengths on the front end and completed five furlongs in 57.28. The Rockville Center was destined to teach him one of the most important lessons for speedy young horses: how to come from off the pace.
Partnered for the second straight time with Javier Castellano, and narrow second choice in the betting at 7-5 to odds-on Tremont winner Silver Mission, Runaway Lute’s stumbling start out of post four allowed the rest to get a jump on him, but the colt got into stride in short order and rallied from fifth to third.
Settling in three lengths behind pacesetter Manifest Destiny and Silver Mission, who between them carved out an opening quarter mile of 22.16 and half in 48.85, Runaway Lute came under some coaxing in the far turn, swung three wide into the stretch and caught up to the dueling leaders.
NYRA/Joe Labozzetta
He nabbed the lead just past the three-sixteenths pole and from that point it just became a matter of how much the colt would win by, as he drew off impressively in the final furlong under encouragement. In the end the margin of victory was 8 3/4 lengths and he stopped the clock after six furlongs over the fast Belmont track at 1:10.82.
Ethan Hunt closed from fourth to get the place money, while Tremont winner Silver Mission finished 1 1/4 lengths back in third. Early leader Manifest Destiny and Concatulations completed the order of finish. [VIDEO]
Winning rider Javier Castellano said, “[Runaway Lute]’s shown a lot of potential. I think he’s going to be a really good horse in the future. The way he did it today, he did it the right way. When it was time to go, he [went.] He switched at the right time and right place. You don’t see too many 2-year-olds that way. It’s a big advantage for a jockey to ride those kind of horses.”
Added Castellano, “He had problems at the start but it didn’t matter. I didn’t want to rush and put him in the lead. I wanted to teach him something. Today was the perfect scenario for that [with] only a five-horse field.”
Trainer Gary Contessa said he left the race strategy in his jockey’s capable hands in the first place. “Looking at this race on paper, I was thinking, ‘Man, there’s three serious speed horses in here. Are we going to have to rate?’ But when you have Javier Castellano, you don’t even have to have that discussion. I always tell Castellano, just ride him Castellano style, however it comes up.”
Contessa also thought that the poor break was a blessing in disguise. “Obviously, after the fact, I’m glad he got left a little bit [at the break] because he showed us a new dimension. If you want to have a good horse, he’s got to have that ability to not have things go his way and win anyway. So I’m glad to see this, I’ve always thought he was a super horse.”
The conditioner sees big things in Runaway Lute’s future and is eager for the next challenge. “Now we’ll take the next step forward, maybe the [Grade 2, $200,000] Saratoga Special [on August 14] or the [Grade 1, $350,000] Hopeful [on September 5], but we’re definitely going to go open company because I think he’s that good.”
Bred by Windlea Farm and foaled at Tender Loving Care in Slate, Runaway Lute is the second black type winner for his dam, Nikki Tootsie, an unplaced Maryland-bred daughter of Waquoit. Her first foal Judy Soda (Personal Flag) was a multiple New York-bred stakes-winning homebred for Scott Solar who earned nearly $400,000. Her English Channel filly Style Drift has earned six figures. In all Nikki Tootsie has produced seven winners from eight foals to start and currently has a yearling colt by English Channel, and a weanling filly by Midshipman.
Runaway Lute was purchased by Harold Lerner for $77,000 at last summer’s Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale from the consignment of McMahon of Saratoga.
