NYRA/Joe Labozzetta
By Bill Heller
If you look up “Good day at the racetrack,” don’t be surprised if there’s a picture of owner Michael Dubb there. Dubb scored his third New York-bred Showcase Day stakes victory Monday at Belmont with Offering Plan, the six-year-old horse he owns in partnership with Nantucket Thoroughbreds, Bethlehem Stables and Gary Aisquith, in the 40th running of the one-mile $125,000 Kingston Stakes on grass. Rallying from last under Javier Castellano in early stretch, Offering Plan, who was the 4-5 favorite in the field of nine, won his second consecutive race and his second consecutive Kingston Stakes by a length and three-quarters in 1:35.11 on the “Good” Widener Turf Course.
Rapt, who was 21-1 with Manny Franco in the irons, also rallied to finish second, three-quarters of a length ahead of 19-1 Kharafa and Dylan Davis. Dot Matrix, who was 7-2 under Jose Ortiz, was just another neck back in fourth.
CW Swann & Cygnet Farm bred Offering Plan, a son of Spring At Last out of Rosalie Road by Street Cry who is trained by Chad Brown.
“This is a hard-hitting horse,” Dubb said. “We debated about racing him at Pimlico, but we made the decision to stay here where he’d be even-money. That was Chad’s wish. I leave everything to Chad. I just show up and take pictures.”
NYRA/Adam Coglianese
Through much of the Kingston, favorite bettors had to be wondering if Offering Plan was going to show up at all. He raced in next-to-last on the backstretch until Rapt passed him.
Up front, Fox Rules, who was 23-1 under Kendrick Carmouche, held a clear lead through a solid pace: a first quarter-mile in :23.16, a half-mile in :46.50 and three-quarters in 1:10.65. When Fox Rules tired late, the race was wide-open and the horse closing fastest of all on the far outside was Offering Plan, who made a spectacular run past the entire field. [VIDEO REPLAY]
“If we keep him with state-breds, he’s supposed to be the boss,” Dubb said. “This time, I think we made the right decision.”
Castellano agreed. “When I asked him to run, he was there for me,” Castellano said. “He gave me a nice run.”
And Dubb is on the run of a lifetime.
Offering Plan is now seven-for-19 in his all-grass career with three seconds, three thirds and earnings of just under $575,000.
