Therapist and Javier Castellano roll to victory in Saturday’s Grade 1 United Nation Stakes at Monmouth Park. Nikki Sherman/EQUI-PHOTO.
By Melissa Bauer-Herzog
Therapist, a consistent stakes competitor since he burst onto the scene as a juvenile in 2017, took things to the next level with a victory in the Grade 1 United Nations Stakes on the Haskell Day undercard at Monmouth Park.
Claimed for $50,000 by Michael Dubb and trainer Mike Maker out of a third-place finish in a Jan. 20 Gulfstream Park turf race, Therapist won the 1 3/8-mile United Nations by 1 ½ lengths as the 12-1 fifth choice in the field of eight. Javier Castellano rode the 8-year-old son of leading New York sire Freud, who picked up $360,000 for the victory to pass the seven-figure mark in earnings.
Therapist, bred by Oak Bluff Stable LLC and Christophe Clement, moved into the 30th spot on the list of all-time leading New York-bred earners at $1,353,815 after the United Nations.
Castellano kept Therapist toward the back early in the United Nations as 58-1 longshot So High raced away from the field to set the pace 5 lengths in front through early fractions of :24.76, :49.32 and 1:14.26.
Therapist and multiple New York-bred graded stakes winner Red Knight raced in two of the last three positions in the stretched-out field to that point.
Therapist started closing from the outside as the field entered the far turn, just behind the leaders at the top of the stretch. Catnip was the first to steal the lead from the pacesetting So High but he was quickly confronted by Therapist, who rolled past as they entered the final sixteenth. Therapist built his margin in the closing strides to win by 1 1/2 lengths over Catnip in 2:14.50 over the firm turf. Red Knight gave New York two of the top three finishers by finishing another three-quarters of a length back in third.
Therapist won for the 13th time in 42 starts, including 10 stakes. He’s finished on the board in 26 of his races and has three wins in six starts this year for Dubb and Maker. Therapist also won the Grade 2 Pan American Stakes presented by Rood & Riddle April 1 at Gulfstream.
The $50,000 Dubb paid to claim Therapist in January has quickly paid off with two graded stakes wins and $524,620 in earnings since the claim. Dubb also celebrated his third straight United Nations victory, following Tribhuvan in 2021 and Adhamo in 2022.
“I followed this horse throughout his career,” Dubb said after Therapist’s victory. “I knew the ability he had and that’s why I claimed him. When he got a little older they put him in claiming races so we tried to claim him for $25,000 and got out-shook. When they put him back in for $50,000, I knew he was worth that and quite a bit more.”
Therapist was named New York-bred champion 2-year-old male in 2017. Foaled at Berkshire Stud in Pine Plains, Therapist is out of the two-time winning Smart Strike mare Lady Renaissance.
Lady Renaissance is the dam of three winners, including Therapist’s stakes-winning full-sister Fresco. Lady Renaissance was sold the year after Fresco was born, bringing $52,000 at the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale from Dennis Yokum, agent. Her youngest foal is a 3-year-old unraced Carpe Diem colt named Seize The Derby.
Therapist is the second New York-bred Grade 1 winner of the year after Red Knight won the Grade 1 Man o’ War Stakes in May at Belmont Park.
