Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
By Sarah Mace
The Elkstone Group’s Ardmore Bay (Bluegrass Cat) turned on the afterburners from off the pace to score a decisive victory in Monmouth’s $60,000 Tyro Stakes for 2-year-olds. After taking the 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint stakes, the bay colt now boasts a perfect two-for-two career record.
Trained by New York-based conditioner Tom Morley, Ardmore Bay broke his maiden with a front running score at Belmont Park against New York-breds July 4 while going six furlongs on grass. Prior to shipping to the shore, the colt posted a trio of four-furlong works, including his most recent move on the Saratoga turf training track going :49 3/5 around the dogs.
The 3-1 third choice in the field of six, Ardmore Bay settled in fourth six lengths or so behind an early three-ply scramble for the lead, ultimately won by 9-1 Phone My Posse, who led the group for the first three-eighths of a mile.
Still three lengths off the pace entering the far turn, Ardmore Bay picked up a head of steam rounding the bend and launched a strong four-wide bid into upper stretch.
In the cavalry charge to the wire, 5-2 Follow the Rainbow rallied from last and threatened briefly in first, but to no avail. Ardmore Bay closed in inexorably on Follow the Rainbow and Bay Numbers, took control and won by 1 1/4 lengths going away in a final time of 1:04.12. Bay Numbers nosed out Follow the Rainbow for the runner-up spot.
Winning jockey Victor Lebron reported, “They were going really fast when we broke. I just put my horse into cruise control and let him be two or three off of them.”
Lebron had also done his homework, which, combined with confidence in his mount in the late stages, spelled victory: “I saw how he ran at Belmont and it was an impressive race. Around the turn, I had him rolling. We were three or four wide, but I just didn’t want to stop him because of how fast he was coming and I knew I had a lot left.”
Ardmore Bay, bred by WinStar Farm and foaled at Sugar Maple Farm in Poughquag, has earned $70,200 from his pair of victories. He is one of three winners, and the first black type winner, out of Collar, a winning daughter of Candy Ride (ARG). The colt is the most recent of Collar’s three registered New York-bred foals. She was sold to Ramiro Salazar for $22,000 at the 2014 Keeneland November sale.
After failing to meet his reserve as a short yearling in January 2015 at Keeneland, Ardmore Bay was purchased later in the year by Southern Racing for the bargain price of $4,500 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale.
