As long as Nick Zito keeps training horses like Commentator. Hell have plenty of platforms to campaign for racing reforms.

A vocal crusader against horse slaughter and synthetic tracksas well as whatever other issues are being debated in the barnsZito brought the speedy 7-year-old to a track that allows neither on Saturday and watched the heavily favored gelding win the 66th Massachusetts Handicap by a record 14 lengths.

Commentator will carry that torch, said Zito, who came to Suffolk Downs in part because of the tracks zero-tolerance policy toward horse slaughter. I hope Suffolk Downs will be a leader and the other racetracks will follow suit. Its one of the most ugliest things, horse slaughter.

Zito then declined to commit to sending Commentator to the Breeders Cup Classic on Oct. 25 for a potential matchup with reigning horse of the year Curlin and former Triple Crown hopeful Big Brown. The MassCap winner earns a berth in the Classic, though Commentator already qualified by winning its second Whitney Handicap in July.

But Santa Anita, which is outside of Los Angeles, has a synthetic track, and Zito took the opportunity to rave about the real surface in Boston.

Theres nothing wrong with dirt. And its is a long way to go, he said. Its hard to leave that on the table, for his reputation. You guys got a million dollar race around here?

Jockey John Velazquez rode Commentator to the wire in front of a crowd of 17,172 and six other horses who could only watch as he won in 1 minute, 48.97 seconds to add his name to a list of winners that also includes Seabiscuit, Whirlaway and Cigar.

The 1-10 favoritethe shortest odds since Cigar won its second MassCap in 1996paid $2.20 to win, $2.20 to place and $2.20 to show; Won Awesome Dude was second and Cuba came in third to share the $500,000 purse. The previous record for margin of victory was eight lengths by Menow in 1938.

We werent in the same league as Commentator, said Casey Lambert, who was aboard Won Awesome Dude. But we were good enough to be second best.

Following the plan he discussed with Zito, Velazquez let Riversrunrylee take the lead as they made their first pass in front of the clubhouse, running alongside his rivals shoulder on the outside. Commentator pulled even at the half-mile mark and took the lead at the far turn.

The chestnut gelding pulled away over the last one-quarter mile, making it eight lengths with an eighth of a mile to go, and 14 at the finish to win for the fourth time in his last five races. In all, Commentator has won 13 times in 20 starts.

I followed instructions to go to the lead, but the other horses got to me early, Riversrunrylee jockey Pedro Gonzalez said. I had nothing left. When the big horse hooked me, my horse stopped running.

The biggest race in New England, the MassCap was shuttered for two years in 2005-06 because of financial difficulties before Brass Hat won last year before a crowd of 19,191the largest at Suffolk Downs since Cigars return in 96. This year the track said it would ban trainers and owners who sell their horses to be slaughtered for food.

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association opposes horse slaughter, but it has declined to back a bill in Congress that would ban it.

How would you like to see Commentator hauled off to slaughter? Zito asked reporters. The NTRA doesnt get Nick Zitos vote. Its either right or wrong. Just say its wrong.

Posted on September 21st, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Horse Racing news