New York-bred distaffers have been dynamite in graded stakes so far at Aqueduct, and that trend continued yesterday when Ruby Rubles – a sprinter stretching out to a mile – went wire to wire winning the Grade 3, $150,000 Bed O’ Roses Breeders’ Cup Handicap by 2½ lengths.
“This horse has ‘C.C. Lopez’ written all over her,” said winning rider C.C. Lopez. “I like to run on the front end, she likes to run on the front end. We were made for each other.”
Favored Up We Go, who stumbled at the start, then was blocked behind a wall of horses down the backstretch, rallied for second under Jean-Luc Samyn, with Go To The Ink third.
“They just let the winner breeze along on the lead,” said Up We Go’s trainer Allen Jerkens. “I don’t know what (Samyn) was waiting for.”
The victory was the fourth in a row for Ruby Rubles, who is trained by John Parisella and owned by Rick Pitino’s Celtic Pride Stable. The 5-year-old mare by Scarlet Ibis has won six of her 12 starts over the main track at the Big A.
“The fractions were really not playing well toward speed so I was a little concerned out there,” Pitino said. “She hasn’t done well at a mile in the past, but John said that was no problem. He was right.”
West Coast shipper Honest Lady would have been the heavy favorite, but trainer Bobby Frankel scratched her because of the off track.
“I’m sorry Frankel didn’t show up,” said Parisella. “Coming from California, he makes a lot of speeches, but a champion is supposed to overcome adversity, and I think she would have gotten her butt kicked.”
Ruby Rubles ran the mile in 1:36.4 to pay $10, keying a $33.80 exacta.