T Kraft finds late seam to win $125K Jimmy Winkfield
LRE Racing’s T Kraft squeezed between rivals late to capture his first stakes victory in Saturday’s $125,000 Jimmy Winkfield, a six-furlong sprint for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the bay son of Connect earned his third consecutive local victory after a nose graduation at sixth asking going six furlongs in January and a 1 1/4-length optional claiming coup sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs on February 14. The $110,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale is out of the winning Johannesburg mare Margarita Friday, making him a half-brother to the 2024 Champion Male Sprinter Straight No Chaser and stakes-winner Hangover Saturday.
"He's been progressing nicely,” said Mott’s Belmont Park-based assistant Leana Willaford. “I mean, we kind of figured out that he doesn't want to go real far. It's always what happens with young horses, they run good sprinting, finishing, and then you think you've got to stretch them out and you find out, 'Oh no, they just really wanted to sprint the whole time.'"
Ridden to victory by Jose Lezcano, T Kraft emerged from the inside post and stalked along the rail while the filly Paula’s a Star pressured Do It for Michael and took charge through the opening quarter-mile in 23.09 seconds over the fast track.
The Maddy Olver-piloted Paula’s a Star maintained her lead into the turn as the trio of Do It for Michael, Saxton and Ican were three-wide across the track in pursuit. Paula’s a Star reached the half-mile in 46.60 and clung to the lead as Do It for Michael backpedaled and Saxton, under Katie Davis, gained ground between him and the wide-running Ican.
T Kraft was full of run and waiting for room as he advanced up the inside, but was left with nowhere to go in the stretch as he ran up on the heels of a stubborn Paula’s a Star and Saxton dug in closely to his outside. Lezcano angled T Kraft out to squeeze through a small seam when Paula’s a Star finally gave way, and – after making contact with Saxton near the eighth pole – hit the clear at the sixteenth pole en route to a neck win in a final time of 1:12.32.
"The horse outside [Saxton] pushed me in a little bit and my horse got intimidated a little bit,” Lezcano explained. “He looked at him - I had to really show him that he had to go and he went on and won the race."
Saxton finished 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Paula’s a Star, who held on by a neck for show over Ican. Arcadian and Do It for Michael completed the order of finish. A stewards’ inquiry into the stretch run resulted in no change to the order of finish.
Lezcano, aboard T Kraft for the second time, said he intended to engineer a similar trip to their last-out stalking victory together.
"He broke good. If I wanted to go to the lead today, I could go - but, I tried to give him the same chance I gave him last time, sit a little bit and make the last run,” Lezcano said. “He responded to that today. Today, he got pushed a little bit, but I had enough horse to be there and go on and win the race."
Davis said she believes the Brittany Russell-trained dual stakes-placed Saxton, who was a last-out winner of a six-furlong optional claimer at Laurel Park, may have won without the late contact in his first start off a $62,500 claim.
"I think my horse gave a really game ride,” Davis said. “Brittany was really happy with him going into the race. I just tried to keep a straight course. He was the horse to beat as well and that was my path, he [T Kraft] made his way out and it kind of cost us.”
Bred in Kentucky by Dr. John Eaton and Dr. Steve Laymon, T Kraft banked $68,750 in victory and improved his lifetime record to 8-3-1-0 while returning $7.20 on a $2 win wager as the 5-2 post-time favorite.
Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A with a nine-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack winter meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.