With a dream trip over a soft turf course, Nyala Farm’s Banrock emerged victorious Sunday afternoon in the 31st running of the $150,000 Mohawk Stakes, the only major New York-bred turf stakes race for 3-year-olds and up the talented gelding had not previously won.

Settling just off slow early fractions of 25.60 and 51.26 set by Pennington, Banrock rallied three wide at the top of the stretch and edged away from late-coming Gimme Credit and Solvent to win by a length.

The 6-year-old gelding’s final time for the nine furlongs over Belmont Park’s inner turf course was 1:52.66. Originally scheduled as part of Saturday’s New York Showcase Day card, both the Mohawk and the filly and mare turf stakes, the Ticonderoga, were shifted to Sunday because of heavy rain Saturday afternoon.

“That was fantastic,” said trainer Tom Bush. “He had the great outside stalking trip and he got his soft course. We’re very proud of him for sure. I really, really did want to win this race this year, I wanted to end it on a great note. We’re thrilled.”

Banrock had run in the Mohawk twice before – finishing fourth last year and sixth in 2007 – and his victory this afternoon gave him his third straight win in state-bred stakes company following the Ashley T. Cole here last month and the West Point Handicap at Saratoga Race Course on August 16.

“The pace was very, very slow,” said winning jockey Javier Castellano, who rode the gelding for just the third time Sunday. “I wanted to let him settle and he settled beautifully. All the way down the backside, a couple jockeys were rushing to go to the lead, but I took my time. I watched his last couple of races very closely, the way Kent Desormeaux rode him. I wanted to ride him exactly the same way today and that’s what I did. I know in his past performances he handled the soft turf very well. I had the best horse in the race, and I just wanted to ride him right.”

The 4-5 favorite in the field of 12, Banrock returned $3.80 for a $2 win bet as he ran his record to 12-4-4 from 30 starts and earned $90,000 to increase his lifetime earnings to $798,013.

Pennington was fourth and My Man Lars, Hangingbyathread, North Country, Piazza Di Spagna, Kutais, Tobruk, Uncle T Seven and Prince Dubai completed the order of finish.

Bush said Banrock could run one more time in 2009, but that he would observe the gelding for the next couple of weeks before making a decision.

TICONDEROGA RECAP

By Brian Skirka

Craig Bernick’s You Go West Girl was well reserved early behind a dawdling pace, then burst through the stretch to capture the 29th running of the $150,000 Ticonderoga for New York-bred fillies and mares over a ‘soft’ Belmont Park inner turf.

Ridden by Jose Lezcano for trainer Tom Proctor, You Go West Girl sat mid-pack through the initial stages of the 1 1/8-mile race about four lengths behind longshot pacesetter Acquired Cat who crawled through early fractions of 25.77, 52.76 and 1:18.56

As the field entered the stretch, Lezcano angled his charge outside of rivals and You Go West Girl kicked on strongly to defeat 2008 Ticonderoga winner Love Cove by three lengths. Favored Nehantic Cat finished third after being stuck in traffic in the stretch.

“My filly broke good, but I didn’t want to be on the lead,” Lezcano said. “I knew the pace was slow, but I had to wait until the quarter pole because she’s the kind of filly if you ask her too soon, she’ll stop. When I asked her she just exploded.”

You Go West Girl paid $15 for a $2 win bet as the third choice in the wagering.

Proctor, reached by telephone after the race, said he was unsure where You Go West Girl might make her next start.