NYRA/Annette Jasko
By Bill Heller
Donald Newman, the late patriarch of Newman Racing, would have loved to see this. His four-year-old, home-bred filly Absatootly rallied up the rail from last to first under a perfect ride by Joe Bravo to win the 39th running of the 6 ½ furlong $150,000 Iroquois Stakes by a half-length over favored Quezon on Empire Showcase Day at Belmont Park Saturday. Quezon was the 6-5 favorite in the field of five and Absatootly the 11-1 longshot.
Front-running Cozzy Spring, who was 4-1 under Dylan Davis, finished an extremely distant third, nine lengths behind Quezon. Wonderment, who was 8-1 under Javier Castellano, was another two lengths back in fourth.
Charlie Baker trains Absatootly, a daughter of Mineshaft out of So and So by Freud who was bred by Newman, a Roslyn, Long Island, sportswear manufacturer who bought his first horse in 1974 and won the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland with Mucchina just four years later. He also campaigned First and Only, who won the 1993 Longfellow Stakes at Monmouth Park, and Absatootly’s dam, So N So, who won the 2009 Lucy Scribner Stakes at Saratoga.
After Newman died at the age of 85 on Dec. 23, 2014, his family continued their commitment to racing as Newman Racing. On Saturday, they were rewarded for their decision.
Absatootly seemed like a legitimate longshot in the Iroquois, having been beaten twice by Quezon and once by Picco Uno and Wonderment in her last four starts.
Her chances seemed even more remote as she languished in last, at one point 10 lengths behind next-to-last Wonderment.
Cozzy Spring had been hustled to the lead from the outside post in the five-horse field, and she opened a 2 ½ length advantage on Picco Uno, the 8-5 second choice on the rail ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., after a first quarter-mile in :22.51. Quezon and Wonderment alternated in third and fourth.
NYRA/Viola Jasko
Cozzy Spring was still in front by two lengths after a half-mile in :45.68, but the others closed in quickly. Quezon rallied to the front and opened a clear lead on Cozzy Spring and Wonderment in mid-stretch. But Bravo had Absatootly passing horses quickly on the rail, and she closed in on the inside of Quezon.
In deep stretch, Absatootly stuck a neck in front of Quezon, who tried to re-rally. Absatootly, though, edged away to win by a half-length in 1:16.04. [VIDEO REPLAY]
Credit Bravo with perfect timing on Absatootly’s rally. ”It was a beautiful ride,” Baker said. “I think for Joe, it was his third time riding her, and he’s figured her out. He figured out where she needs to make her run from. He timed it really well.”
Bravo said, “I knew she’d run a big one, and she ran a great race. I’m proud of her.”
Absatootly is now six-for-16 with four seconds, three thirds and earnings of more than $385,000.
