The Big Beast rolled down the Saratoga stretch for an electrifying victory in the $500,000 King’s Bishop S. (G1). The 3-year-old son of Yes It’s True is a winner of three straight and is one of seven stakes winners by his sire this year.
With The Big Beast’s win, Yes It’s True now has 52 lifetime stakes winners and 99 stakes horses. His progeny have earned over $4.2 million this year.
After Fast Anna and Wildcat Red decided to duel for the early lead, Javier Castellano let The Big Beast set just behind that pair. The half-mile went in 46 seconds, with The Big Beast poised to pounce as the field hit the stretch.
Castellano called on his mount outside the furlong marker, and he responded to wear down Fast Anna, winning by a neck in 1:22.35 on a track rated fast that had been wet for most of the day.
“(Taking back) was part of the strategy, to come from behind,” said Castellano. “This is the first time he went seven-eighths, and we wanted to monitor it. He’s a big horse. I thought he could go the distance, and I’m happy with the way he did it. The way I handicapped the race, there was a lot of speed inside me with Wildcat Red and Fast Anna. I didn’t want to hook them in a speed duel. I could have gone to the lead, but he rated so beautifully.”
The Big Beast, who is owned by Alex and JoAnn Lieblong and trained by Tony Dutrow, is 3-1-1 in five starts. He has earned $415,500, bolstered by Saturday’s $300,000 payday.
Bred in Maryland by Green Willow Farms, The Big Beast is one of five winners out of his stakes-placed dam V V S Flawless. The Lieblongs paid $150,000 for the colt as a 2-year-old at the 2013 OBS Spring sale.
