Trainer Mike Maker will never be known as loquacious.
Yet the man of few words has been "bragging" for a while about his 6-year-old gelding Atone, and on the grand stage of Pegasus World Cup Day people found out why.
Normally a horse who makes keen use of his early speed, Atone relied on late speed to rally in the stretch and edge past Ivar and notch a three-quarters-of-a-length victory under Irad Ortiz Jr. in the $981,400 Pegasus World Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park.
"I've been bragging on the horse for a while and he finally backs me up today. Since we've had him he's been a cool horse and he's trained fabulously. He doesn't quite get there (all the time), but he got a perfect ride," Maker said. "He was a hard-luck horse last year. He's always been right there, and today was his day."
While Saturday's 1 1/8-mile turf test marked the gelded son of Into Mischief's first graded stakes win, he had been knocking on the door of a breakthrough win for the past year. In his previous nine starts, Three Diamonds Farm's highly consistent runner was second in a grade 2s and two grade 3s, third in a grade 2, and fourth in last year's Pegasus Turf, a little less than two lengths behind.
Yet what may have been more beneficial was Atone's last race, a Nov. 10 frontrunning win in an allowance optional claiming race at Aqueduct Racetrack that snapped an eight-race losing streak and set the stage for a prime effort Saturday by a horse who was bought from breeder and original owner Godolphin for $130,000 from the Brookdale consignment at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale.
"The last time he was loose on the lead and took a big class drop," said Maker, who previously won the 2020 Pegasus Turf with Alpha Zulu. "He got a freshening after that and when he came in, he was a (ready) horse."
Though Atone displayed sharp early speed in his last three races, he was fifth after the opening half-mile as One More Bid led by 1 1/2 lengths over King Cause, Wit , and Lady Speightspeare in :47.30 over firm turf.
"Irad looked like he wanted to be forwardly placed out of the gate, and it looked like a couple of others had the same idea, so Irad went to Plan B," Maker said. "He settled in nice, saved some ground, and got lucky to get some racing room when it counted."
As the leaders began to falter in the stretch, it was Ivar and Javier Castellano who had first run and grabbed a short-lived lead leaving the eighth pole.
Meanwhile, Ortiz continue to bide his time with Atone until the top of the stretch when the four-time Eclipse Award winner swung him out and took flight after Ivar. Sixth with a furlong to go, Atone quickly kicked into high gear and rushed past Ivar in the final strides.
The 7-2 third-choice, Atone ($9.60), was timed in 1:46.19.
"It was perfect," said Ortiz, who won the Pegasus Turf for the third straight year and fourth time overall. "Every step of the way, I was so happy. I waited and was able to tip out without checking, and when I got clear, my horse was right there. All the credit goes to the horse."
For Ortiz, it was his third straight Pegasus Turf win and fourth overall and came two days after he received a fourth Eclipse Award as the outstanding rider.
"It means a lot," Ortiz said. "I'm just enjoying the moment and what is happening in my career right now. I have to thank my agent Steve Rushing for doing a great job, and thanks to all the owners and trainers for supporting me. They make me the happiest man in the world to be honest. I'm living the dream."
Bonne Chance Farm and Stud RDI's grade 1-winning Ivar, a 7-year-old son of Agnes Gold, was second by 1 1/2 lengths over Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Speaking Scout, a Mr. Speaker gelding trained by Graham Motion.
"He ran good. It was a good race. I felt the other horse a little bit but my horse kept running," Castellano said about Ivar, a Paulo Lobo trainee who was the 7-2 second choice after a close fourth in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T). "He never gave up. The winner ran a huge race. I'm not disappointed in my horse at all. I'm very proud of the way he did it."
Charles Fipke's Lady Speightspeare, the lone female in the field of 12, was a neck back in fourth and One More Bid was another neck back in fifth.
City Man, the narrow 7-2 favorite despite breaking from post 11, bumped a rival at the start and never threatened while finishing last.
A son of the A.P. Indy mare Captivating Lass, Atone won for the seventh time in 23 starts and raised his earnings to $1,179,146.
"All the credit goes to Mike and his staff. Irad is an Eclipse Award winner for a reason. It was flawless execution," said Carl Fiebig, a member of the Three Diamonds partnership. "Most importantly, for the Wycoffs (the stable's managing partners), this win is for them. We're glad to be a small part of this. For myself and my family to be a part of this, I just want to thank Jordan and Kirk (Wycoff), who put a lot of energy, money, and everything into this business, and I'm glad to see them rewarded on days like this."
When Maker was asked if he had thought about what was next for Atone, his answer was typically brief and to the point.
"Nope, (we'll) just enjoy today," he said after his third stakes win of the day, including a 1-2-3 finish in the William L. McKnight Stakes (G3T). "(I'll) talk it over with the connections, but first one that comes to mind is the (May 6) Turf Classic (G1T) on Derby Day (at Churchill Downs)."
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