Former claimer King David posted a shocking upset in the $400,000 Jamaica Handicap (gr. I) this afternoon at Belmont Park, rallying strongly in the final furlong to win the nine-furlong turf race by a half-length at odds of 28-1.
Ridden to victory by Rosie Napravnik, who won the Champagne Stakes (gr. I) earlier on the card, King David broke cleanly and settled into third place as King Kreesa led the way through very, very slow fractions of :25.89, :52.29, and 1:18.15 over a course labeled good. Howe Great was 1 1/2 lengths behind in second, with King David back in third by a similar margin. Summer Front was racing another length back in fourth, followed then by Cogito and Dullahan. Shkspeare Shaliyah was the trailer.
Rounding the final turn, Howe Great began to tire, leaving King Kreesa alone on the lead. But Summer Front was making a strong run along the rail, and King David was closing in strongly on the outside.
A sixteenth of a mile from the finish, Summer Front had to steady along the rail, ending his chances at victory. This left King Kreesa and King David to fight it out alone, with the latter colt eventually getting the better of the latter in game fashion. The final time was 1:52.91 seconds.
Summer Front finished another three-quarters of a length back in third, while Cogito rounded out the superfecta. Dullahan failed to present a serious rally and finished fifth as the heavy favorite. Shkspeare Shaliyah and Howe Great trailed the field.
The winner, a son of Hat Trick out of the Gone West mare Storm West, has now won five straight races -- four claiming events and the Jamaica. He is owned by Scarlet Stable and trained by Mike Maker.
-Keelerman
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