Bridgetown’s emphatic 6 3/4-length victory in the $75,000 Troy S. Aug. 17 at Saratoga gave the record-setting 4-year-old son of Speightstown his second stakes win of 2011. The victory also put Speightstown in the top 10 this year among all sires in terms of stakes wins with eight and the top 5 with 35 repeat winners.
The Eugene Melnyk homebred overwhelmed the competition in the 5 1/2-furlong Troy. Sitting comfortably in second for the first half of the race, John Velazquez gave the Florida-bred a nudge turning for home, and he sprinted clear in a matter of strides, widening in the lane to stop the clock in 1:03.13 on a yielding turf course. The 103 Beyer Speed Figure is a lifetime best and his third straight triple-digit number.
“I was a little concerned about the extra half-furlong and the cut of the ground obviously with all the rain we had,” Velazquez said. “I know he had a little trouble before with soft ground, and he ran much better than I thought he would. We like it when they surprise us this way.”
The win was the seventh from 14 career starts for the Todd Pletcher trainee and Bridgetown’s third in as many tries at Saratoga. It was also his fifth stakes triumph and improved his bankroll to $716,735. In his seasonal debut, Bridgetown established a stakes record in the Turf Dash at Tampa Bay Downs, zipping five furlongs in :55.28.
Bridgetown will be pointed for the Nearctic S. (G1) at Woodbine in October, with the major goal being the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G2) at Churchill Downs in November.
