Dominguez sweeps New York Stallion Stakes on six-win day

Dominguez celebrated his sixth victory on Sunday in the Cupecoy’s Joy division (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) Ramon Dominguez joined Jorge Velasquez as one of two jockeys to win six races in a single day at Belmont Park, aided by a sweep of Sunday’s New York Stallion S. (NYSS) races aboard DARRIN’S DILEMMA (Freud) and HESSONITE (Freud). To see video of Dominguez after his sixth victory, click here. It was the 16th time a jockey has won six races on a single card on The New York Racing Association (NYRA) circuit. If not for FRIEND OR FOE (Friends Lake) wearing down Dominguez’s mount, fellow comebacker Rail Trip (Jump Start), to score by a head in the $60,000 Easy Goer overnight stakes, he would have become the first jockey to win seven races in a single day at a NYRA track. In the 6TH race, the $75,000 Spectacular Bid division of the NYSS, Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables’ Darrin’s Dilemma employed a new running style, rating in second as favored Bold Deed (Anasheed) set fractions of :23 1/5 and :46 1/5. Given his cue nearing the quarter-pole, Darrin’s Dilemma took command in upper stretch en route to a one-length victory over the pacesetter. “I think the key factor today with him is how well he relaxed,” Dominguez said of Darrin’s Dilemma, who entered the race off a victory in the 6 1/2-furlong NYSS Times Square division on May 11. “He can be very quick and he’s coming off these real short distance races and I was afraid that he would be too keyed up, but he relaxed so nicely and that really helped him. Of course, the grass maybe moved him up as well, but he just relaxed great.” The Spectacular Bid was the first start on turf for Darrin’s Dilemma, who completed seven furlongs over the firm going in 1:21 4/5. The bay sophomore improved his record to 3-2-0 from six starts, and earned $45,000 to lift his bankroll to $144,700.

“I was very happy he liked the grass,” trainer Rudy Rodriguez said.
“He ran big for us. I was a little concerned because he usually goes to the
lead, but it was good for us that he relaxed and made the winning move. Ramon
did a very good job with him, and we got lucky.”

Dominguez’s sixth win came in the 9TH race, the $75,000 NYSS
Cupecoy’s Joy
division, aboard
Hessonite, his final mount of the day. Reserved in fourth early, Hessonite was
guided off the rail entering the upper turn, ranged up three wide turning for
home, and blew by her opponents once put to a drive, finding the wire 3 3/4
lengths to the good of Lady On the Run (Ten Most Wanted).

“It could have been seven, but I got beat early on,” Dominguez said moments
after his Cupecoy’s Joy victory. “It really wasn’t me. It was the horses. I’m
very happy. I didn’t know I was only the second rider to win six races (at
Belmont Park).”

Hessonite, who was cutting back in distance off a triumph in a 1 1/16-mile
New York-bred allowance over soft turf at Aqueduct on April 23,
completed the Cupecoy’s Joy’s grassy seven-furlong distance in 1:22 3/5. Trained by David Donk for William J. Punk Jr. and
Philip Di Leo, she ran her record to 3-0-0 from six starts and $102,310 in
earnings.

“Today the concerns were reversed,” Donk said. “Today’s race was much
shorter, with it being over firm ground. She’s going to be a pretty useful
filly. (Dominguez) said she got to wandering a little bit, but once he hit her
one time, she went about her business.”

Dominguez began his historic day with a victory in the 1ST race, a one-mile
optional claimer, aboard favored Saginaw (Peruvian) coming from just off the pace
to win by three-quarters of a length. Without a mount in the second, he returned
to capture the $60,000
Xtra Heat with BELLAMY
STAR (Bellamy Road) by 1 1/4 lengths. The Kinsman Stable homebred, who was
making her stakes bow in the seven-furlong test, stopped the clock in 1:21 on
the turf and now sports a 4-2-1-0, $59,970 career mark.

A front-running, 4 1/2-length score on Little Larky (Forest Wildcat) in the
5TH race followed soon after, and Dominguez extended his victory total to five in
the 7TH race with favored Show Trial (Purge), who rallied to win the one-mile claiming
race by 1 3/4 lengths.

Overall, Dominguez won six races from eight mounts, while Velasquez went
six-for-six on June 9, 1981.

In the Easy Goer, the 3RD race on the card, Friend Or Foe opened his four-year-old
season with a hard-fought head victory. The Mary and Chester Broman Sr. homebred, tracked Rail Trip in third through fractions of
:23 1/5, :46 and 1:09
and finished 1 1/16 miles on the fast main track in a swift 1:40 under Alex
Solis.

Rail Trip, making his first start since a fifth-place finish in the Jockey Club Gold Cup
(G1) last October, was 5 1/4 lengths clear of Convocation (Pulpit).

“It was a sharp effort by both horses,” trainer John Kimmel said. “(Friend
Or Foe) kind of ground him down and showed his
fitness was up to where I wanted it to be. He sat off the pace and made a good
run in racehorse time.”

Victorious in all three starts against state-breds last year — including the
Mike Lee S. and Empire Classic S., in which he set a stakes record of 1:46.94 for
the 1 1/8 miles — Friend Or Foe also finished fourth in the Jim Dandy S. (G2),
sixth in the Travers S. (G1) and fifth in the Cigar Mile (G1).

The even-money favorite in the field of four, Friend Or Foe extended his record to
5-0-0 from
eight starts had now banked $295,634.

According to Kimmel, his next start will like be in the Suburban H. (G2)
going nine furlongs on July 2.

“Hopefully he cycles back in and will be ready for the Suburban,” the
conditioner said. “I would prefer that he didn’t have to run so hard to win, but I think
he’ll move forward off the race if he gets enough time. It was a very good race.
This is a really good horse, and I hope to have a really good campaign with
him.”

Tahitian Warrior (Maria’s Mon) was fourth and New Orleans H. (G2) victor Mission Impazible
(Unbridled’s Song) was scratched.