SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Doc Sullivan, making his first start since being transferred to trainer John Ortiz’s barn during the spring, wore down the Grade 1-placed The Wine Steward in the final strides to register a well-deserved head victory in the $150,000 John Morrissey Stakes, which was decided over a sloppy track on a bleak Thursday afternoon at Saratoga.
Owned by Tristar Farm, Doc Sullivan made his first 14 career starts with trainer Mike Miceli, for whom he won the Mike Lee Stakes over a similarly sloppy surface here 14 months ago and was stakes-placed against New York-bred competition on four other occasions. He made his final start for Miceli at Aqueduct on March 8, finishing fourth going a mile against open, second-level allowance company before joining Ortiz’s stable.
With Joel Rosario aboard for the first time, Doc Sullivan broke alertly and stalked the the early pace set by Light Man and The Wine Steward. Doc Sullivan was put to pressure by Rosario while fanning wide into the stretch but could not keep pace with The Wine Steward at that point, dropping several lengths behind that rival before surging through the final sixteenth to overtake the tiring leader in the shadow of the wire.
The Wine Steward, making his first start against statebreds since winning the Funny Cide here as a 2-year-old, saved ground, gained command nearing the quarter pole, opened a seemingly comfortable advantage through mid-stretch, but could not last. It was another 3 3/4 lengths back to Light Man in third.
Whatchatalkinabout, the 9-5 favorite returning against New York-breds after winning the Grade 3 John Nerud at Aqueduct in his previous start, did not show his customary speed and was never a serious factor, ultimately finishing seventh in a field that scratched down from 13 to 10 starters by post time.
Doc Sullivan, a 4-year-old son of Solomini, completed seven furlongs over the wet going in 1:22.69 seconds and paid $12.60.
“We picked this horse up in Keeneland this spring, took our sweet time with him, and he hasn’t missed a beat the whole time,” Oritz said by phone from Lexington, Ky., where he watched the race with his family. “We originally planned starting him back in an allowance, but all his works were lined up in synch perfectly for this race, so we just decided to wait for the stakes and it worked out.”
Ortiz said he was not concerned when Doc Sullivan began to drop several lengths behind The Wine Steward in early stretch.
“I spoke to Joel in the jocks' room before the race and told him to help the horse out of the gate because it was his first start off a layoff, to keep him in the clear and not to sleep on him, to tap on the gas all the way around because he will respond," said Ortiz. "Joel is a Hall of Famer for a reason. He followed the instructions perfectly, the horse got in gear late and got him [The Wind Steward] in the last jump.”
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