To view the Suburban Handicap, click here.

by Mike Curry

Dry Martini uncoiled an explosive closing bid to rally from last to first in the final half-mile and win the $400,000 Suburban Handicap (G2) on Sunday at Belmont Park.

The six-year-old Slew Gin Fizz gelding capitalized on a solid early pace in the 1 1/4-mile race to score his fourth career graded stakes win.

"Well, it worked out the way we planned it,” Prado said. “Just break, take a little hold and wait, save as much ground as possible, and hopefully pick up the pieces and come with a run.”

The $240,000 winner’s share for the 123rd edition of the Suburban was Dry Martini’s biggest career payday. Trained by Barclay Tagg for owner Carol Nyren, Dry Martini completed 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.80 on a track rated as fast to improve to nine wins in 26 career starts and surpass the $1-million plateau with $1,152,406 in career earnings.

"He's a lovely, lovely horse. He always runs his race,” Tagg said. “With all the speed in there, I thought it would work out. There was a very fast half-mile and it worked out well for us. I guess we'll have to look now at the Whitney [Handicap (G1) on August 8 at Saratoga Race Course].”

Finallymadeit dictated the pace through a half-mile in :47.63 and six furlongs in 1:11.39 and appeared poised to steal the race with a clear advantage in early stretch. Asiatic Boy (Arg), sent off as the 8-to-5 favorite off a runner-up finish in the Stephen Foster Handicap (G1), closed willingly and steadily reeled in the pacesetter, but Dry Martini accelerated from between foes and swept past to win at odds of 10.80-to-1. He is out of the Criminal Type mare Jon’s Kimberly.

“He's a very classy horse, very easy to train,” Tagg said. “He eats when he's supposed to eat, exercises when he's supposed to exercise, sleeps when he's supposed to sleep, and runs when he's supposed to run. You can't ask for anything more. I wish I had 20 like him."

Asiatic Boy held off fast-finishing Rising Moon by a neck for second. Finallymadeit battled gamely and finished another neck back in fourth in the ten-horse field.

For an Equibase chart, click here.

Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor