Joe Labozzetta Photo

Sticksstatelydude outlasts Neolithic in G3 Discovery

by Najja Thompson

Making his third consecutive start in a graded stakes race, Sticksstatelydude earned his first graded stakes win holding off a game Neolithic in the Grade 3, $150,000 Discovery Stakes on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Breaking alertly from post positon 4 with Joel Rosario aboard, Stickstatelydude quickly went to the lead with 22-1 longshot Neolithic traveling close by in second. The pair hooked up to set fractions of 24.29 seconds for the opening quarter-mile with a half-mile going in 49.21.

The two continued to separate themselves from the rest of the field as they reached the quarter-pole, dueling in the stretch as Adulator, My Man Sam and 8-5 post time favorite Gift Box made a run toward the leaders. Undeterred, Sticksstatelydude drew away in the final yards to earn the victory by 1 ¼ lengths.

The son of First Dude completed the 1 1/8-mile distance in a winning time of 1:50:58.

"We thought he was going to be 1-2 and I got out of there and he was in the lead," said Rosario. "He was going pretty easy and I just let him do his thing. It's exactly how he likes to go. We stayed up front and it looked like easy fractions and it left him with something in the end."

Transferred to the barn of Kiaran McLaughlin from Midwest-based trainer Greg Burchell after finishing second in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby, Sticksstatelydude returned $14.40 for a $2 win wager. The victory boosted his career earnings to $326,400 for owners Alvin S. Haynes, Mitchell D. Haynes, John S. Ferris, Brad Ward and Pack Pride Racing.

"It was a great race," said McLaughlin. "Greg has trained him most of the time and sends him up here and we switch back and forth, but he's done a great job. We talked and thought there wasn't much pace after the horse from Parx [Hot Seat, No. 6] scratched, so we told Joel, 'if they let you go to the lead, do your thing' and he said he'd be first or second. 

"So when he broke well and went on with him, it was a great effort. The fractions weren't too fast and everything went well, and this was a nice group of horses. We're proud of him. Where we go from here, we don't know yet. He'll stay here [in New York] for a while but we'll wait and see.

Checking in third was My Man Sam followed by Adulator, Gift Box, Sunny Ridge, Governor Malibu, Wild About Deb and Vulcan's Forge completing the order of finish. Hot Seat was scratched