Elsa Lorieul Photo

Gold for the King tops the podium in Thunder Rumble

by Keith McCalmont

Francis Paolangeli's homebred Gold for the King, sent to post as the prohibitive 1-5 mutuel favorite, romped to an authoritative score in Sunday's $125,000 Thunder Rumble at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Charlton Baker, Gold for the King successfully defended his title in the seven-furlong New York Stallion Series sprint with an impressive stalking performance under jockey Joel Rosario.

Gold for the King settled in third position for Rosario as Tribecca marked the opening quarter-mile in 23.06 seconds and the half-mile in 46.07 under pressure from Loki's Vengeance, a two-time Thunder Rumble champ. Rosario urged Gold for the King into contention through the turn and quickly assumed command with Sudden Surprise following in his wake.

Cruising to victory under a hand ride, Gold for the King powered to a 9 ¼-length score while stopping the clock in 1:24.25. Winston's Chance, rallying from out of the clouds, arrived in the final stride to complete the exacta in front of Sudden Surprise. Tribecca and Loki's Vengeance completed the order of finish.

Gold for the King arrived at the Thunder Rumble off a runner-up effort in the Hudson Handicap when defeated less than a length as the mutuel favorite.

"He did it comfortably, which I think he was supposed to do. He pretty much had this field over a barrel," said Baker. "We thought if he was okay for this, and if he was healthy, he would win. Thankfully, it worked out. He's always dependable and gives an 'A' effort.

"He needed this race to get back into the swing of things. After his defeat in the Hudson, we wanted to get his confidence back. He's always dependable."

Rosario was confident throughout with the ultra-consistent Gold for the King who won this event last year by 7 ½-lengths.

"It was a good trip. He broke well, and it looked like a couple of them were trying to challenge for the lead a little bit," said Rosario. "I just wanted to be in a stalking position, where I was, and then I took control in the turn. Before turning for home, he just took the lead by himself. He was just the best horse in the race."

The victory marked the fifth career stakes win for the 4-year-old son of Posse, who banked $72,188 in victory while improving his career record to 7-4-2 from 18 career starts. He paid $2.70 to win.

My Boy Tate, Benevolence, and Fleet Irish were scratched.