Joe Labozzetta Photo

Control Group authoritative in G3 Discovery

by NYRA Press Office

Rainbow Heir's golden effort wins Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship;
Penjade prevails in tight Forever Together finish

Making his graded stakes debut for owners Michael Dubb and David Simon, Control Group went straight to the lead and never relinquished to win the Grade 3, $200,000 Discover for 3-year-olds on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Breaking alertly from post 6 with Joel Rosario aboard, the pair led the field of six through moderate fractions of 24.05 seconds for the opening quarter-mile with the half in 48.52. Calmly holding his position in front, Control Group continued to distance himself from the field completing a mile in 1:39.12.

Extending away to comfortably secure the victory by three lengths at the wire, he completed the 1 1/8-mile distance in a final time of 1:52.83.

"I was just trying to stay where I was early and improve my position as it went," said Rosario. He handled everything fine. It looked like it was very easy for him."

Sent off as the 5-2 post time favorite, the New York-bred son of Posse returned $7.40 for a $2 win wager. The victory increased his career earnings to $321,570.

"I told Joel to warm him up good, and see if we can clear the horses, he loves the two turns, that's the key," said winning trainer Rudy Rodriguez. "When I saw 24 [seconds for the opening quarter-mile] I was very comfortable, 48, he was nice and controlled, and Joel looked very, very controlled, and at the three-eighth pole, I thought we looked very, very good. The farther they are, the better it is."

"We were thinking about running him in the Claiming Crown, but we didn't want to ruin him, you've got the New York-bred race coming up at the end of the year [the $100,000 Alex M. Robb on December 31], said winning trainer Rudy Rodriguez. "That was the plan, even if we didn't run here, he still would run good fresh, and I thank Michael Dubb for the opportunity, and everything worked out good."

Senior Investment finished in second, followed by Bonus Points, Can You Diggit, Spieth and True Timber to complet the order of finish.

Kicking off the day's stakes action, Amerman Racing's Penjade scored her first stakes victory in the $150,000 Forever Together for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the outer turf for trainer Chad Brown, winning a tight three-way photo over longshot Not Taken and 8-5 favorite My Impression for trainer Chad Brown.

Ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., Penjade settled in mid-pack early as Bishop's Pond led through an opening quarter in 25.50 and a half in 50.49. Penjade, a 4-year-old French-bred daughter of Air Chief Marshal, moved along the outside in the far turn as Not Taken got a head in front at the top of the lane with My Impression and Elysea's World looming close behind. Tipped out in the stretch by Ortiz, Penjade closed fast in the middle of the track and dug in to get her nose down on the wire. Not Taken was second, a nose in front of My Impression.

Penjade's stablemate Elysea's World was fourth, followed by Bishop's Pond, Sweet Sandy and Winter.

Off at 7-2, Penjade returned $9.20. The final time was 1:43.60.

Earlier this year, Penjade put together a three-race win streak facing allowance company, including a half-length victory at Belmont in September. She made her first stakes start in the Grade 3 Athenia on October 28, where she finished fourth to fellow Brown trainee Off Limits. 

"She ran great," said Brown. "It was really close. I am proud of her the way she has developed this year. She has really improved a lot and Irad really deserves a lot of credit for her development. He has figured out how to ride this horse and it took me a little while to figure out what her best distances would be and exactly her running style. I wasn't positive about it, and Irad made the decision."

In the inaugural running of the $125,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship on the outer turf in Race 8, New Farm's Rainbow Heir ran down Summation Time in the final furlong and fended off Dubini's late kick to win.

Summation Time broke alertly and led the field of 10 though a quarter-mile in 21.80 seconds and the half in 44.11. Under Ortiz, Jr., Rainbow Heir, who had been as far back as fifth, gained ground out of the turn and surged past his stablemate in the final eighth.

Dubini, at 59-1, made an impressive late charge from the outside. But Rainbow Heir dug in, completing six furlongs in 1:08.60 as the Jason Servis trainee won by three-quarters of a length.

"He broke good and he put me in good position, I just held it together, and when I asked him he was there for me," said Ortiz, who notched his third win on Saturday and second in a stakes. "I was a passenger. He always tries, he's always there, even in the mornings."

Rainbow Heir won his third stakes in his last five starts, adding to his victories in the Wolf Hill and the New Jersey Breeders Handicap on August 27 at Monmouth Park in his 7-year-old campaign.

Off at 6-1, the New Jersey homebred paid $15.60 on a $2 win wager. Rainbow Heir improved his career earnings to $731,545.

Runner-up Dubini, finished a half-length ahead of the Mark Casse-trained Conquest Panthera in third.

Summation Time, Bucchero, Dowse's Beach, White Flag, Snowday, Blind Ambition and Spring to the Sky completed the order of finish.

Ready for Rye, who ran fourth on Thanksgiving in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap, was scratched, as was main-track only entrants Cerro and Summer Revolution.