The Metropolitan Handicap (Grade 1) (BC)- $1,000.000 Purse
SAR- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Dirt
June 8, 2024

Domiano has always been a good horse, but keeping him from being considered a great one was his lack of a big win. Down at AQU a couple months ago, he did win the $150.000 Excelsior, which showed his potential to win at this level. Now, he’s a Grade 1 winner after getting the win here in the Metropolitan Handicap. He went off at odds of 11/1, and was not among our picks to win. Fractious is the proud winning trainer of Domiano, and it is his first win in this race. That is also true for jockey, F Prat. Congratulations to them! The race was won in a time of 1:33.83. Let’s take a look at it now!

(1/4 Mile- :22.73)- Like we saw in the Manhattan right before this, it’s Mb Stables horses going to the front of the field. From the outside, Natural Instinct charges to the front and will lead stablemate Mamba by a length. Running in the third lane of three wide, we have TwinTowersRacing’s Nutmeg being a half length ahead of two rivals, one of which is our eventual winner from Fractious, Domiano. That one runs on the rail, and has Quality Road, trained by D J C Racing Stables, right beside him. Crypto (Maxmillion Farm) is next, and a length behind those three as well as being that same distance ahead of Don’t Miss It (John Henry) and Winter Book (Fractious). Fox Final Time (Spankys Barn) is next and five lengths from the lead, with Bourbon Roads (Wood Duck Stables) running beside him. The rest of the order sees Duppy Story (Ajm Stables) being ahead of Dayton (Pan Farms), Puppy Plex (Jive Inc), and Twin Rackets (Alydar Stables).

(½ Mile- :46.04)- Not much changes down the backstretch, as Natural Instinct continues to lead the field. The advantage is a length over stablemate Mamba, who is also clear by that margin over the third place Nutmeg. Domiano still runs side by side with Quality Road, as these two sit just a couple lengths off the lead and wait for their time to strike. Crypto, Fox Final Time, and Don’t Miss It lead the rest of the pack. Nothing has changed behind them.

(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- Natural Instinct looks like a natural pacesetter as he comfortably handles the turn and enters the stretch. No one has gotten up to challenge him quite yet as he still leads by a length. As his stablemate, Mamba, gets a little leg weary now, we have a new second place horse and that is Domiano. He was especially sharp over the second half of the turn and looks poised to, at worst, give Natural Instinct a good battle in the stretch. Nutmeg is fourth, by a head over Quality Road. Fox Final Time looked good in the turn as well, but needed to make an outside move to make his bid for the win. Don’t Miss It has also been gaining ground, and so too has Duppy Story who looks to get around Crypto. Winter Book and Bourbon Roads were looking the best that they have all race and were possible contenders. Twin Rackets was at the back, but he’s a known closer, so any moment now, he’s going to mound a charge. Right? Puppy Plex was in the back with the highly disappointing post time favorite, Dayton.

(Finish- 1:33.83)- Natural Instinct tries to hang on, but with a little more than a furlong to go, Domiano pulls up alongside and completes the pass far more easily than I would have imagined. In fact, Natural Instinct must have caught in a tail wind when he went by, because he struggled from this point onward. From the outside, Fox Final Time was moving very well, and further back, Duppy Story was making a charge of his own. They would settle for second and third, with another late runner, Don’t Miss It, getting the final piece of the purse. Fifth goes to Quality Road, ahead of Bourbon Roads and Nutmeg. Natural Instinct inexplicably fatigued all the way back to ninth. Tenth is Twin Rackets, who forgot to mount a late bid today. Crypto, Mamba, Puppy Plex and Dayton round it out.

About The Winner- Dominao, trained by Fractious and ridden to victory by F Prat, is a four year old colt by Hard To Deny and is out of the late Beringia. He was bred in New York by Night Mare Racing as a second quarter two year old, and was acquired by Fractious for $400.000 in March 2023, in private sales. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fifth in 21 starts, his third stake win and first graded win. His career earnings are now $1,158.430.

Track: Fast
Time: :22³  :46  1:09⁴  1:33⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 4 – 10 Paid 433.10
$1 Trifecta: 4 – 10 – 7 Paid 1,615.80

Scratched: Best Of West

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES