Good to Be King reigns supreme with strong rally in G3 Futurity
Cherry Valley Farm’s Kentucky homebred Good to Be King ran down Regent’s Park in deep stretch, completing a furious rally for a one-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Futurity for juveniles contesting six furlongs on Belmont Park’s inner turf.
Good to Be King’s first stakes win came at an opportune time, as he earned a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint October 30 at Keeneland for trainer Rusty Arnold.
Entering off a three-quarter length second to Mid American in the Listed Juvenile Sprint on August 29 at Kentucky Downs, Good to Be King stayed off a blistering pace set by My Kid’s Said No as the filly tried to surge gate-to-wire, leading the seven-horse field through an opening quarter mile in 21.71 seconds and the half-mile in 43.76 over firm going.
Under jockey Fausto Da Silva, My Kid’s Said No maintained a sizable advantage out of the turn and into the stretch before tiring. Regent’s Park, under Paco Lopez’s guidance, overtook her, but Good to Be King had plenty in reserve, and jockey Manny Franco coaxed him to an impressive finish in taking command from the outside in the final sixteenth, hitting the wire in 1:09.06.
Regent’s Park ran second, 4 1/4-lengths clear of Luminous Beauty. Just Joe finished fourth while My Kid’s Said No faded to fifth and Pinpoint and Golden Corsair completed the order of finish. Cactus Closer and Uncle Kef were scratched.
Off as the 3-2 favorite, Good to Be King paid $5.16 on a $2 win wager. The War Front bay improved his career bankroll to $318,166.
Good to Be King graduated second out in a dead-heat with Sir Hansen in July traveling one-mile over good going at Ellis Park. He cut back to 5 1/2-furlongs for the Riverside Rush there on August 1 and closed from eighth-of-11 over yielding ground to finish a one-length third to the victorious Fanshell Beach, who was returning from a fifth in the Group 2 Norfolk in June at Royal Ascot.
Arnold, who watched the race on TV while saddling his contingent at Keeneland, said he was pleased with the effort – and the trip.
“Thought he ran really well,” he stated. “I haven't talked to Manny yet, but the race was kind of difficult to watch [on TV]. The one horse [My Kid's Said No] got so far in front, you couldn't tell what was going to happen, but I was very happy with the way he finished and happy to get the win. Hopefully, he can move on to the next one. We thought we'd be well off the pace, but we just didn't know they'd be 10 [lengths] in front. You've got to be happy with that trip."
Added Franco: “The pace was really fast in front, so I just took my time. He [Arnold] told me to ride him like, don’t rush him, so I didn’t. He was picking up the pace from the half-mile to the quarter pole, so I was happy about that. In the stretch, he just gave me a nice run.
“He was traveling well and the horse on the lead was going so fast,” Franco continued. “I know the stretch is so long, so I know they’re going to come back to me.”
Franco registered his fourth win of the card, adding to an impressive list that included a victory on favorite U.S.S. Valor in the Grade 1 Champagne two races prior, as well as Brickyard Belle in the Grade 3 Matron in Race 6 and New York-bred Forecheck in a maiden race in Race 3.
“It’s been great. I’m just happy to get the opportunity from these trainers and good horses, and John Panagot, my agent, has been doing an amazing job,” Franco said.
Arnold has saddled 18 Breeders’ Cup starters in his career and is looking for his first win, with a pair of third-place finishes marking his best efforts.
“As long as everything is good,” Arnold said about going to Keeneland later this month. “I'll talk it over with Mr. [Seth] Hancock and if he thinks that's the place to go, that's where we'll go, as long as the horse is good."
Regent’s Park earned a second straight stakes placing, building on his previous start’s third-place effort in the Rosie’s last month at Colonial Downs for trainer Jorge Delgado.
“It was very fast and she [My Kid’s Said No] broke on top so he [Da Silva] let her go,” Lopez said. “I find a little hole at the three-and-a-half, got through, and my horse [ran good].”
The 138th edition of the Futurity was the latest iteration of a historic race inaugurated in 1888 and contested on turf for the first time in 2018.
Live racing resumes Sunday at Belmont Park with a 10-race card. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.
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