Horse Racing
Claire Novak 9y

Ring Weekend gets victory

Horse Racing

St. Elias Stable and West Point Thoroughbreds' favored Ring Weekend withstood an inquiry to win the $500,000 Hill Prince Stakes for 3-year-olds at Belmont Park Oct. 4.

Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. for trainer Graham Motion, Ring Weekend handled a soft turf course and a bit of trouble to win by a half-length over 39-1 shot Daddy's Kid, a two-time starter allowance winner in Maryland in his last two starts. Smooth Daddy finished three-quarters of a length back in third, with Pumpkin Rumble fourth.

Ring Weekend, 2-3/4-length winner of the Grade 3 Saranac Stakes on grass at Saratoga Race Course in his last start, is a Tapit gelding bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Thoroughbreds. He now has two wins and two seconds in four starts on turf.

The final time for 1-1/8 miles on the inner turf course at Belmont was 1:55.56 after fractions of :26.20 seconds for the opening quarter-mile, :52.18 seconds for a half-mile, 1:17.97 for six furlongs, and 1:43.27 for one mile. The early pace was set by Smooth Daddy as Ring Weekend rated in fourth before making his bid in the lane.

"Graham Motion had called me [to discuss running Ring Weekend on soft turf]," West Point president Terry Finley said after the race. "He's over at the Arc [in France]. He kind of threw it on me. I've been around the business. I threw it right back on him. We felt pretty comfortable.

"Quite frankly, at the eighth pole, I really would have given anything to be on the board. He really surged the last part of it. He had to work for every part of it. It's a good win."

Ortiz, who said Ring Weekend handled the soft turf and is still learning, noted the gelding bumped with Daddy's Kid.

"I felt like he had more in the stretch, so I asked him but he took off and drifted out a little bit," Ortiz said of his mount. "I took a hold as soon as possible, and it was right before the wire."

Travis Dunkelberger, aboard Daddy's Kid, lodged an objection for the incident but stewards allowed the result to stand.

Ring Weekend paid $5.70, $4, and $2.90 across the board. Daddy's Kid returned $22.80 and $10.40, while Smooth Daddy paid $7.10. The $2 exacta returned $148.50 and the $2 trifecta $1,111.

Out of the Cryptoclearance mare Free the Magic, Ring Weekend improved his career line to 4-3-2 in 12 starts while banking $855,160.

Pumpkin Rumble was followed by Blacktype, second choice Mr Speaker, Sheldon, Sloane Avenue, and Cabral. Tourist scratched.

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