New York-bred Waralo earns first stakes score in Listed $150K Elusive Quality

My Purple Haze Stables’ New York-bred Waralo made every pole a winning one to secure his first career stakes win in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Elusive Quality, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for older horses, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Chris Englehart, the 7-year-old War Dancer gelding made his seasonal debut a winning one, while avenging a runner-up effort to returning rival Twenty Six Black in his stakes debut last out in the state-bred New York Turf Sprint Championship on October 25 here.

Jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. said the scratch of speedy 2024 Elusive Quality-winner Dancing Buck was a difference maker for Waralo.

“You could see it today that my horse is a game horse. He broke really sharp, put me in the lead, he was happy and comfortable,” Santana, Jr. said. “Turning for home, he was so game. I had a horse inside, a horse outside, and he kept fighting today.”

Clock Tower emerged alertly from the outermost post 5, but Waralo was hustled to the front by Santana, Jr. from the inside post to mark the opening quarter-mile in 22.37 seconds over the firm footing.

Waralo showed the way down the backstretch with Clock Tower stalking to his outside from second position and the dual graded stakes-placed New York-bred Twenty Six Black saving ground in third through a half-mile in 45.49.

Clock Tower, with Dylan Davis up, loomed large with an outside move late in the turn as the Jaime Rodriguez-ridden Twenty Six Black looked for room up the fence, but Waralo continued to find more while keeping the rail a tight prospect for his advancing rival. Waralo stayed on strong to the wire to earn the neck win over Twenty Six Black in a final time of 1:09.23.

“Turning for home, I thought I was going to win for fun,” Santana, Jr. said. “Then, he felt Dylan [Clock Tower] and he kept fighting. Then, every time he felt Dylan, he wanted to get out more to get close to him. When he heard the horse inside, he gave me an extra kick.”

It was a neck back to Clock Tower in third with Son of a Birch and Spiced Up rounding out the order of finish. Dancing Buck and main-track only entrants Acoustic Ave, Ignite the Light, Willintoriskitall and Shoot the Nickel were scratched.

Waralo made his first 18 career starts on dirt before successfully switching to turf last May and now boasts a 6-4-2-0 ledger over the lawn, including a state-bred optional-claiming score here in June and an open allowance score in August at Saratoga Race Course.

Twenty Six Black, in addition to the aforementioned New York Turf Sprint Championship, won the restricted Disco Partner to go along with placings in the Grade 2 Troy [2nd] and Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint [3rd] last year.

Rodriguez said the Horacio De Paz-trained Twenty Six Black may not have appreciated the inside run, settling for a War Dancer-sired exacta.

“It was open [the rail], but I don’t think he wants to be in that spot,” Rodriguez said. “I think he’s better when he’s outside. I’m mad at myself. I should have taken him out, but I’ve got nowhere to go – I’ve got two horses outside of me. I think the [inside] position killed me today. 

“When it opened a little bit more, he kept coming,” Rodriguez added. “He got a good trip and everything, but he was intimidated and once they opened just a little, he gave me another kick and took off again, but I don’t think he likes to be pressing in that spot.”

Waralo, a half-brother to stakes winners Bust Another, Bustin It and May Shares, is out of the winning Intidab mare I Drink Alone - a half-sister to Grade 3-placed Pavo.

Bred in the Empire State by Casey Newick LLC, Waralo banked $82,500 in victory while improving his record to 24-10-7-2. He returned $15.26 for a $2 win bet. 

Live racing resumes Sunday with a 12-race card at Belmont at the Big A, which features a trio of $175,000 Grade 3s, including the Westchester [Race 7], Beaugay [Race 8] and Vagrancy [Race 10], along with the Listed $150,000 License Fee [Race 11]. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races presents live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
 
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