Solitude Dude a force cutting back in Listed Bay Shore
Chris Fountoukis’ Solitude Dude successfully cut back in distance from his first career defeat to improve to 4-for-4 in sprints in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Bay Shore, a seven-furlong test for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the Yaupon dark bay began his career a virtually unchallenged 3-for-3 in sprints, with stakes wins in the six-furlong Inaugural in December at Tampa Bay Downs and the seven-furlong Listed Swale in January at Gulfstream Park. He exited the latter performance to try the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in February there and finished a prominent 2 1/4-length third to Commandment and Chief Wallabee – both pointed to the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.
Solitude Dude continued a strong stretch for his Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano, who captured Friday’s Listed $150,000 Plenty of Grace aboard And One More Time here and has already won 10 stakes this year. The 48-year-old jockey was in Florida at Gulfstream Park early this morning to breeze Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby-winner The Puma five furlongs in 1:00.77 as he prepares for the Kentucky Derby for trainer Gustavo Delgado. Castellano and Delgado combined to win the 2023 Derby with Mage.
“To go to the Kentucky Derby, with the potential quality to be competitive, you have high expectations,” Castellano said. “He did it the right way today and I believe that’s the first time I’ve asked him for a little more to do. I think this is the time you have to do it… Everybody is in the same boat and have to be prepared… you have the best 20 horses in the country and you have to be 100 percent. I’m very satisfied with the way he did it today.”
In the Bay Shore, Solitude Dude exited the inside post a touch hesitantly after being fractious in the gate, as Time to Roll, with blinkers on and exiting the outermost post 4, cleared the field to set an opening quarter-mile in 22.38 seconds over the fast dirt as the 1-9 favorite Solitude Dude sat second.
Solitude Dude rated a clear second 1 1/2 lengths behind the Jaime Rodriguez-piloted Time to Roll down the backside and maintained a stalking position through the half-mile in 44.80 as Fulmine and Racetrack Romance traveled well off the pace.
“The outside horse came out really drastically out of the gate, he pushed him really quick and the horse put on the brakes, intimidated a little bit because he wasn’t clear when he did that,” said Castellano. “He [Rodriguez] wanted to dictate the pace, because it seemed to me with blinkers on the outside horse, I don’t know what was the expectation – maybe go to the lead. But I rode him like a good horse.”
Time to Roll led at the top of the lane, and Rodriguez looked over his shoulder to see Castellano had shifted Solitude Dude outside for his run. The pacesetter battled on, but just before the eighth-pole, Solitude Dude grinded past on his way to a two-length victory in a final time of 1:23 flat.
Time to Roll finished 4 1/2 lengths ahead of Fulmine for second, with Racetrack Romance completing the order of finish. Igniter was scratched by trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr., who said the last-out local Jimmy Winkfield winner was sick earlier this week but has since returned to the track.
Castellano, aboard Solitude Dude for the first time in the afternoon, said his trip back from Florida was worthwhile.
“He was right there every single step of the way. He was right there, every moment when I asked him,” said Castellano. “That’s what I really like in the horse. He’s a smart horse and keeps track of the flow. When I asked him, he took off… he galloped out good and steady, straightforward.”
Joseph, Jr. indicated by phone after the race that Solitude Dude will point towards the Grade 1, $500,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores on June 6 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.
Rodriguez said the Horacio De Paz-trained New York-bred Time to Roll was game in picking up his third consecutive stakes placing.
“He ran huge,” Rodriguez said. “I didn’t want to be in the lead, but he got the jump on the favorite and I said, ‘this is the only way I can beat him.’ He [Solitude Dude] was much the best, and I thought maybe we had a shot at the top of the lane, but I looked outside and said, ‘man, he’s already here!’”
Bred in Kentucky by Martha Buckner and Matthew Ernst, Solitude Dude, a $300,000 purchase at the 2025 OBS June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale, is out of the winning Into Mischief mare After the Party. His second dam is stakes-winner Defy Gravity, who produced stakes-winner Green Destiny and stakes-placed Owen’s Leap.
Solitude Dude earned $82,500 in victory while improving his record to 5-4-0-1 and returning $2.32 for a $2 win bet.
Live racing resumes Sunday at Aqueduct with an eight-race card, featuring the $135,000 Biogio’s Rose for older New York-bred fillies and mares in Race 7. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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