Royal Posse repeats in Evan Shipman

by Brian Bohl

Royal Posse rallied from next-to-last and went on to a 5 ¼-length victory in Friday's 35th running of the $100,000 Evan Shipman for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up at Saratoga Race Course.

It was the second straight victory in the Evan Shipman for the Michael Dubb-owned 5-year-old, who completed the 1 1/8-mile course in 1:49.44.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. kept Royal Posse well behind loose-on-the-lead Crackerjack Jones' fast fractions of 23.17 seconds, 46.85, 1:11.01 and 1:36.61 before angling him to the far outside straightening for home. Given his cue, the Posse gelding overtook Crackerjack Jones and Wake Up in Malibu inside the eighth pole and pulled clear to the wire.

"They were going pretty fast up front," said Ortiz, who registered his third win of the day. "I just let my horse be comfortable and let him go at his speed. Last time, the pace was a little slower, but he always tries hard. No matter how fast they're going ahead he always tries hard. At the half-mile pole I was asking him a little more, but he was ready. Rudy did a good job with him."

Off at 6-5, Royal Posse paid $4.50 on a $2 win wager. He boosted his career earnings to $721,245 as he improved his 2016 record to 3-4-0 from seven starts, including a victory in the Alydar on August 7.

"I thought we were in trouble. The pace was very, very fast," trainer Rudy Rodriguez said. "Sometimes, when they go that fast they change the setup. I thought we were going to be maybe third [early], sitting in a good position. Then when I saw our horse that far back and we went pretty wide, I said, 'Come on, I don't know if we're going to get there.' He's a very nice horse and he loves Saratoga.

"When they were turning for home at the quarter pole I said, 'Man, it doesn't look like they're stopping,'" he added. "The stretch at Saratoga is pretty long and as soon as he started moving in, he started picking it up. He's a talented horse."

Crackerjack Jones held off the Todd Pletcher-trained Ostrolenka by a nose for second.

Wake Up in Malibu and Royal Posse's stablemate, Good Luck Gus, completed the order of finish.

The Evan Shipman is named for the former racing columnist who died in 1957. The Spanish Civil War and World War II veteran covered thoroughbred and standardbred racing for the Morning Telegraph.