Photo: Adam Coglianese
Going into Monday’s $70,000 Evan Shipman Stakes for New York-bred three-year-olds and up – traditionally Belmont’s closing day feature, but this year imported to the extended Saratoga meet – Albert Fried Jr.’s five-year-old homebred son of Giant’s Causeway Giant Moon was making his Saratoga debut and looking for a sixth lifetime stakes victory for trainer Richard Schosberg. The bay did not disappoint, but the outcome of the 1 1/8-mile two-turn contest was by no means certain until the final strides when Giant Moon managed to prevail after a thrilling stretch run involving virtually the whole field to reach the wire a neck ahead of Earle Mack’s Icabad Crane.
For the past two years Giant Moon – New York’s undefeated Champion Two-Year-Old Male in 2007 and, at three, winner of the open Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct and on the edges of Triple Crown competition – has had his career interrupted with recurrent foot issues. The Preakness was his last race as a three-year-old, and at four he managed only four starts before being sidelined again relatively early in the year. Three of those starts, however, were excellent: a victory in the Grade 3 Excelsior, and first and second place finishes in New York-bred stakes at Aqueduct.
This year it appears that Giant Moon’s feet are in good order and that he has come back better than ever. Although he found himself in deep waters in his first start back, the Grade 3 Westchester on April 30th, he rebounded with a win an 1 1/6-mile optional claimer for state-breds at Belmont Park on May 16 and, in his last start on June 13th (a one-mile optional claiming race for state-breds), ran second to Haynesfield, who ws en route to a victory in the Grade 2 Suburban in his next start. In the interim before the Evan Shipman Schosberg gave Giant Moon four regularly-spaced works, including a five-furlong bullet on July 12th.
After the gates opened on the seven-horse field on Monday, front-running Mighty Morris, as expected, emerged from his inside post as the pace-setter. Ruffino, the other main speed in the race who broke from the post next door, tracked in second with Groomedforvictory not far behind. The vanguard led the field through a quarter in 23.83. Veteran millionaire eight-year-old Naughty New Yorker, making his 62nd lifetime start, started at the absolute back of the pack from post six, but unexpectedly tugged his way past horses in the backstretch to wrest third from Groomedforvictory who dropped back for a ground saving trip through the turn. Meanwhile Giant Moon, paired for the fifth (and third consecutive) time with Edgar Prado (and overwhelming betting favorite at post time at odds of .85-to-1), broke from post position five and settled near the back, taking the clubhouse turn three wide and progressing unhurried through a half.
Photo: Adam Coglianese
Following a half in 48.30, in the far turn Giant Moon moved out into the four path and advanced on the leaders, but as he straightened out for the stretch run, he had plenty of company: Groomedforvictory was now up on even terms with the three frontrunners and Icabad Crane, too, was on the advance from the rear. Things did not begin to sort themselves out until Might Morris gave way at the three-sixteenths and Naughty New Yorker tired after his middle move. At this point Giant Moon and Icabad Crane were up front vying for – and exchanging – the lead with Groomedforvictory, though hampered somewhat by traffic, advancing with determination and well in the mix. It wasn’t until the final strides that Giant Moon edged ahead of Icabad Crane by a neck, also working clear of Groomedforvictory, who finished only another neck behind Icabad Crane. Ruffino, Slevin, Naughty New Yorker, and Mighty Morris completed the order of finish and the final time of the race was 1:49.31.
Trainer Rick Schosberg was exuberant after the nail-biter: “With three jumps to go, I thought we were going to get third, beaten two noses. It was a tough trip, going wide on both turns, but he showed his class. We’re thrilled with it. It was a dynamite performance.” Prado praised the five-year-old’s grit given the trip they were dealt: “He broke well from the gate; he just got outrun in the early part of the race. I was going to tuck inside, but I saw some other horses inside, so I stayed where I was. He started moving around the far turn, but he really picked it up and kept trying when he saw the other horses at the end. He’s a game horse and he will fight hard when he sees another horse.” As to the future, Schosberg has no immediate plans beyond celebrating the victory today: “We really want to bask in this one before we think about what’s next. There’s a chance he could run again at Saratoga towards the end of the met, or else very early in the meet at Belmont Park.” Giant Moon is now 8-2-0 from 15 lifetime starts and has amassed $483,546 in earnings.
Bred and owned by Fried, and foaled at his Buttonwood Farm in Rhinebeck, Giant Moon is the first foal (and one of two to start) from Fried’s stakes-winning New York homebred, Moonlightandbeauty by Capote ($228,053). Giant Moon has a yearling full-sister and Moonlightandbeauty was bred back to Giant’s Causeway in 2009 (with no foal reported) and in 2010.
