20 Abr. USA. Ben Ali S. G3. Keeneland. 9f. AW. 150.000 $
1.- STERWINS (S.Bridgmohan)
2.- GO BETWEEN (G.Gomez)
3.- SIR WHIMSEY (E.Prado)


Sterwins uncoiled a last-to-first rally on Sunday at Keeneland Race Course to post an upset victory at odds of 13.40-to-1 in the $150,000 Ben Ali Stakes (G3) and earn his first career graded stakes win.

The five-year-old Runaway Groom gelding made his first start on a synthetic surface in the Ben Ali, and Sterwins proved more than capable of handling the surface switch with a 3 1/4-length win after making each of his previous eight starts on grass.

“He’s always trained good over the Polytrack,” winning trainer Malcolm Pierce said. “We were just waiting for one of those turf races to get rained off one day, but it just never happened. We ended up entering him in here and taking a shot.”

Sterwins was reserved at the back of the six-horse field by jockey Shaun Bridgmohan as It’s a Bird set the pace through an opening quarter in :24.23 and a half-mile in :48.30. Go Between stalked the pace from fifth as the overwhelming 1-to-2 favorite and launched his bid on the final turn when roused by Garrett Gomez.

Sterwins also accelerated into contention on the turn and powered forward on the outside of Go Between to challenge for the lead approaching the eighth pole. Go Between battled briefly to stay with Sterwins, but the victor surged clear to win easily in 1:48.53 on the synthetic Polytrack surface.

“He’s one of those horses that always makes a nice run at the end,” Bridgmohan said. “[Pierce] told me to get him to the outside when I go to make that move, and it made all the difference in the world.”

The Melnyk Racing Stables homebred improved to six wins in 17 career starts and boosted his earnings to $552,726.

Go Between held on for second with Grade 2 winner Sir Whimsey another 1 1/4 lengths back in third.

Sterwins finished second in the 2006 Queen’s Plate Stakes, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, and won the With Approval Stakes and Buddy Diliberto Memorial Handicap last year. He is out of the Wild Again mare Sweet Vale.