Adam Coglianese
Mark My Way, a gelded son of Noonmark owned and bred by Chester and Mary Broman and trained by Linda Rice, delivered a good-looking performance in his stakes debut in the Spectacular Bid at Belmont Park on Sunday afternoon, besting eight rivals in the first of paired divisions of the $100,000 New York Stallion Stakes series for New York-sired 3-year-olds run at seven furlongs on the turf.
Though starting for only the fifth time in the Spectacular Bid, Mark My Way came into the race with a solid grass credentials. Following a runner-up finish in his grass debut going seven furlongs at Belmont last October, he broke his maiden by five lengths stretching out to a mile on the Aqueduct sod. This year he followed an off-the-board finish in his solitary dirt start in January with a close-up third in a first-level state-bred allowance against elders going 1 1/8 miles on turf at Belmont on May 25. Coupled in the betting with maiden A Marked Man, another Noonmark gelding entered by Rice and the Bromans, the pair went off well supported at odds of 8-5.
After slipping slightly after the break under regular rider Cornelio Velasquez, Mark My Way settled in midpack at the fence just to the inside of dirt stakes winner Free Mugatu, while Bambisfrostyracer, a third Rice-trainee, took the initiative, clocking a first quarter-mile in 23.25 under pressure from A Marked Man.
As Mark My Way advanced into fifth midway around the far turn, A Marked Man took over the lead pursued by 24-1 longshot Social Rebellion. After the field straightened away, Mark My Way came off the rail, passed his stablemate in the final sixteen and dug in to hold off a fast-closing Free Mugatu, securing the victory by a half length. Social Rebellion, 1 1/4 lengths back in third, just got a head in front of A Marked Man, who finished fourth. The final time for the seven furlongs over the firm going was 1:22.19. [VIDEO]
Cornelio Velasquez reported that a good trip allowed him to overcome the trouble at the start. “My horse slipped in the gate, but I saved ground all the way and at the top of the stretch I put [him] in the clear. [Free Mugatu] came to me in the end, but I had a lot of horse.”
Rice said, “I was happy with [Mark My Way’s performance]. Cornelio just told me that he slipped coming out of the gate, but I kind of expected that he’d be off the pace, coming from 1 1/8 miles to seven furlongs. That really worked out fine because my other two horses [were pressing the pace], so I was happy to have somebody closing. I thought he ran really professional for a horse who has only had four starts.”
Mark My Way is one of two winners out of Whichwaydidshego, a winning Kentucky-bred daughter of Storm Cat from the family of Minardi, Tale of the Cat and Johannesburg for whom Chester Broman paid $425,000 at the 2009 Keeneland November sale. Whichwaydidshego currently has a 2-year-old filly named Hard to Stay Notgo by More Than Ready and a weanling colt by Bernardini.
Mark My Way is also the second stakes winner for his sire Noonmark, who stood in New York from 2010 through 2013 at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson.
