Crudo | Jim McCue/MJC
Debuted earlier this season at Gulfstream to be a troubled fourth, the well-related Crudo really put his best foot forward at second asking when wiring a maiden special weight at Keeneland by 7 1/4 lengths Apr. 19. Triple Crown nominated for trainer Todd Pletcher, the son of Justify opted for this restricted spot on Preakness Day in Baltimore for his two-turn debut and showed much the same talent from a month ago. The rail-drawn 7-2 second choice jumped clear to the lead but had quick early pressure from race favorite Invictus (Into Mischief) to his outside into the first turn. Kept in a nice rhythm under John Velazquez, Crudo maintained his narrow advantage ahead of the favorite through fractions of :23.32 and :46.86. Invictus looked to make a race of it into the far turn but wilted past the quarter pole with Crudo well-gone for a stretch-length procession to net his first stakes win. Just a Fair Shake, second to GI Preakness Stakes entrant Pay Billy (Improbable) in the Federico Tesio Stakes Apr. 19, rallied for a clear second as the field came in single file. The raw final time of 1:44 flat was 0.20 slower against the clock than maiden special weight winner Varney (Vekoma) in race three, but does not account for any slowing in the racing surface as the track continued to dry out throughout the afternoon.
“We’ve been looking forward to getting him stretched out around two turns and he handled that really well,” said Pletcher. “He got a good trip, got to the first turn in good position and got into a good rhythm. That is what he has been showing us in the morning. A talented colt. We were a little disappointed in his debut (4th at Gulfstream as the 4-5 favorite) because he had trained lights out. He came out of that race with some minor issues that we had to address and once he has come back, he has trained dynamite. His race at Keeneland was pretty easy and today was very impressive as well. [Invictus] was the big favorite and we just wanted to get to the first turn in good position and we figured he would be stalking us, which he was. It looked like they both got into a good rhythm and fortunately our colt kept going.”
Pletcher indicated that the colt may take yet another step up in class for his next start, including a potential start in the GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga.
“We just approached today like kind of seeing where we are and we’ll see how he bounces out of it,” Pletcher said. “There are a lot of big races all summer. We’ve got options with a colt that has shown some promise.”
Crudo is the 44th stakes winner for Coolmore’s Triple Crown champion Justify. Blossomed, though unraced herself, has enjoyed a wildly successful broodmare career with 10 winners from 11 to race including four stakes winners racing worldwide led by Crudo’s full-sister Awesome Result who is a multiple stakes winner in Japan as well as his half-sister in GI Spinaway Stakes winner Sippican Harbor (Orb), a $1.45m RNA at FTKNOV in 2019. Another half-sister, GSP Bodacious Babe (Mineshaft), has already produced a stakes winner in Royal Spa (Violence). Blossomed herself last went through the ring for just $425,000, selling to Springhouse Farm at KEENOV in 2018. Crudo is her last reported foal.
SPENDTHRIFT FARM SIR BARTON S., $100,000, Pimlico, 5-17, (C), 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.00, ft.
1–CRUDO, 118, c, 3, by Justify
1st Dam: Blossomed, by Deputy Minister
2nd Dam: Texas Cinema, by Mt. Livermore
3rd Dam: French Flick, by Silent Screen
($350,000 Wlg ’22 KEENOV; $520,000 RNA Ylg ’23 FTSAUG).
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Bobby Flay and James Ventura;
B-Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-John
Velazquez. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $130,148.
*Full to Awesome Result, MSW-Jpn, $1,108,666; 1/2 to
Bodacious Babe (Mineshaft), GSP, $154,259, Saayedd (Malibu
Moon), SW-UAE, $136,825 and Sippican Harbor (Orb), GISW,
$262,650.
2–Just a Fair Shake, 118, c, 3, Laoban–Ladymidtown,
by Midshipman. ($8,000 Ylg ’23 KEESEP). O-LaShawna Lynch;
B-Brookstone Farm, Lee Mauberret, & James Blazek (KY);
T-Daniel J. McKenzie. $20,000.
3–Invictus, 118, c, 3, Into Mischief–Serengeti Empress,
by Alternation. ($1,200,000 Ylg ’23 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE.
O-CHC, Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC; B-Joel Politi (KY); T-Brad H.
Cox. $10,000.
Margins: 7HF, 3HF, 3 1/4. Odds: 3.70, 6.20, 0.50.
Also Ran: Bear Claw Necklace, Authentic Gallop, Bestfriend Rocket, Bold Diversion. Scratched: Hymn, Mr. Bogan.
