Lord Nelson Edges Out Rival in Triple Bend

The seven furlong distance of the Gr. 1 Triple Bend Stakes proved just right for Lord Nelson, who galloped to a half-length victory on Saturday, June 25th. His biggest victory over the distance occurred last year when he defeated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red in the Gr. 2 San Vicente. Now, Lord Nelson adds a Gr.1 victory to his resume after successfully edging out pacesetter Subtle Indian in the Triple Bend Stakes.

The son of Pulpit enjoyed a perfect trip under leading rider Rafael Bejarano, who positioned him in second no more than a length off Subtle Indian as he reeled off fractions of :22.58 and :45.52 for the quarter and half mile, respectively. As the field reached the midway point on the far turn it began to look like a traffic jam similar to that of a busy Southern California freeway. Favorite Kobe’s Back moved up four wide at the quarter pole to loom a challenge and longshot Ambitious Brew remained in contention. The slow early fractions helped Subtle Indian open up a 1 ½ length lead reaching mid-stretch, but Lord Nelson proved a game rival and rallied to catch Subtle Indian on the jump before the wire. Kobe’s Back flattened out to finish third with Gary Stevens aboard. The final time was 1:21.04.

As the first two finishers benefited from being positioned close to the tepid early pace, the race shape compromised Kobe’s Back. “I was on the extreme outside,” said Gary Stevens. “I was wide around the turn and the pace was extremely slow for these kinds of horses. The track has been favoring speed all day long and my move was a bit premature and a bit wide.”

Out of the Seeking the Gold mare African Jade, Lord Nelson was a $340,000 purchase at Keeneland in September of 2013. This is the colt’s fourth victory from seven starts over the Santa Anita main track. He is currently undefeated in two starts as a four-year old.

After finishing behind stablemates American Pharoah and Dortmund as a two-year-old and three-year old, trainer Bob Baffert was proud of the chestnut’s accomplishment. “That was pretty game. I didn’t think he was going to get there. He was trying so hard there at the end. It was pretty exciting to watch, more exciting to win. He’s come back so strong this year; that break really helped him.”

Although he did win the Speakeasy Stakes over the Breeders’ Cup Sprint distance of a six furlongs, the seven furlongs seems to be his distance of choice. A start in the Pat O’Brien at Del Mar this summer is likely to be next.

By: Christopher Ado