One Stripe (yellow colours) ran on from last for third in Saturday’s Gr 1 wfa Manhattan Stakes over a mile and a quarter at Saratoga, won by defending champion Deterministic in course record time (via youtube)
The highlight of the weekend racing for South African fans, besides the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge meeting, was the outstanding performance of One Stripe in a traditional Gr 1 on the turf at the Belmont Stakes meeting, which took place this year at Saratoga racecourse as Belmont is still being revamped.
Gavin Lerena relaxed One Stripe from the off in the Gr 1 wfa Manhattan Stakes over a mile-and-a-quarter (2000m) and he had him beautifully switched off at the back of the field.
He sent him for home just before the final turn and the Drakenstein Stud-bred One World colt swept past a number of horses rounding the turn on the outside.
When straightening he still had plenty of work to do.
However, he ran on superbly to pip the favourite and pacemaker Rhetorical for third.
He was just a length behind the winner Deterministic.
One Stripe’s stablemate Test Score, who also beat him in the Pegasus World Cup turf, took second place, half-a-length ahead of One Stripe.
The winner broke the course record which is enough to stamp the Hollywood Racing and Rikesh Sewgoolam-owned One Stripe as a world class turf thoroughbred, especially coinsidering his Gr 1 runner up finishes in two previous starts.
