NYRA/Coglianese Photo

​Dunbar Road impresses as Ortiz wins third straight G1 Alabama presented by NYRA Bets

by Brian Bohl

Peter Brant’s Dunbar Road continued a stellar start to her career, handling the stormy conditions and a stretch out to 1 ¼ miles by overtaking Street Band at the top of the stretch and outkicking graded stakes-winner Point of Honor by 2 ¾ lengths to capture the 139th running of the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama presented by NYRA Bets for sophomore fillies on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

Under a driving rainstorm, Dunbar Road broke well under jockey Jose Ortiz from the inside post and stayed covered near the rail as Champagne Anyone and Ulele dueled for the lead, with the former leading the eight-horse field through an opening quarter mile in 24.14 seconds and the latter going the half in 48.97 on the sloppy and sealed main track.

The 8-5 favorite, Dunbar Road had plenty in reserve, and Ortiz capitalized by tipping her wide out of the final turn, where she dug in against Street Band in the final furlong before gaining command from the outside and drew away to hit the wire in 2:04.07.

It marked the first Alabama victory for Saratoga meet-leading trainer Chad Brown, who notched his third win on the day and second in a stakes after Regal Glory dead-heated with Varenka for victory in the Grade 2, $200,000 Lake Placid one race prior.

“It’s very special to win our first Alabama. The Alabama and the Travers are the two biggest races here and to win one of them is very special.” Brown said. ”I was actually expecting to be more forwardly placed. I told Jose with the lack of pace in the race, and the change in track conditions, that I’d be comfortable on or very close to the lead.

“I didn’t want to take any chances,” he added. “I felt she was the best horse in the race and I didn’t want the weather pattern and track conditions to compromise our chances in the race. It wasn’t how I would have drawn it up. We got shuffled back early and I really wasn’t certain down the backside, with how far back she was, that we would win from there. She was just so much the best today. She was able to overcome everything.”

Ortiz also registered his third win of the afternoon and became the first jockey to win three consecutive runnings of the Alabama since Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey [1997-99]. Ortiz won with Elate in 2017 and Eskimo Kisses last year.

It was the third time this meet that Brown and Ortiz teamed to win a Saratoga stakes, adding to the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks won by Guarana and the Curlin, won by Highest Honors. 

“I've won the Alabama now three times in a row. My goal is to go to the Hall of Fame and to go to the Hall of Fame, I have to win these types of races,” Ortiz said. “I was hoping to go to the lead but the other horses broke well too and I just had to sit into the first turn, but she relaxed really good. At the five-eighths pole, I started working my way out and followed Javier [Castellano] through the turn. It was a little wide but I didn't want to be a hero and try to split horses. I felt like I had a lot of horse.”

Dunbar Road returned $5.50 on a $2 win wager, earning the victory for the fourth time in five starts. Unraced as a 2-year-old, the Quality Road filly won her debut in March at Gulfstream Park and ran second to fellow Alabama contender Champagne Anyone next out in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, marking her only non-winning effort. She has now won two straight graded stakes starts, building on her 2 ½-length score in the Grade 2 Mother Goose on June 29 at Belmont Park.

"[With the weather] I was concerned about the experience because it is only the fifth start of her life, and the 1 1/4 miles coming from 1 1/16 miles, but she's a good filly and she really handled it,” Brant said. “She's very special."

Point of Honor, the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan winner in May at Pimlico Race Course, surged in the final sixteenth to edge Street Band by a nose for second under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano.

“She ran a great race. I have no complaints, she was just second-best today,” Castellano said.

Off Topic, Afleet Destiny, Champagne Anyone, Ulele and Lady Apple completed the order of finish. Kelsey’s Cross was scratched. 

Live racing will resume Sunday with a 10-race card highlighted by the $100,000 Summer Colony for older fillies and mares in Race 9. First post time is scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern.