The horse Bobby Flay couldn't sell has long-shot Belmont Stakes dream
Share this @internewscast.com

SARATOGA SPRINGS — With 15-1 odds, Crudo is unlikely to beat Kentucky Derby victor Sovereignty and Preakness winner Journalism in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes at Saratoga.

However, one might suggest that this result would be no more unexpected than the series of events that brought Crudo into the Triple Crown competition initially for his owners Bobby Flay and Jimmy Ventura along with Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

“Jimmy and I initially intended to purchase him as a pinhook investment — we acquired him as a weanling with plans to sell him as a yearling. We brought him to the Saratoga [Fasig-Tipton] auction, but he didn’t sell, so we ended up keeping him,” said Flay, the chef, restaurant mogul, and Food Network celebrity to The Post early on Friday morning before checking on Crudo.

“I don’t usually race colts. I usually race fillies only. But I have him, so he’s racing, and he’s turned out to have talent,” Flay continued. “The Belmont Stakes is New York’s most important race and as a New Yorker, it’s clearly important to me.”

Flay, 60, says he’s been watching horse racing since his teenage years when he and his friends from the Yorkville neighborhood in upper Manhattan would cut school and take the A train to Aqueduct.

The Belmont Stakes has long been a staple of Flay’s social calendar.

“I go to the Belmont every year. I usually take 20-30 people to Belmont Park and make a day out of it,” Flay said. “It’s become a tradition where I have people over to my house for brunch, everyone comes dressed in their racing gear — suits, summer dresses, hats. I feed them in the morning and then put everyone in cars and we go to Belmont and we have a day.”

He said those nights usually end with a group dinner at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse on 33rd Street.

But Saturday, the stakes will be much higher.

On Preakness Day at Pimlico, in his third career start, Crudo won the Sir Barton Stakes by 7¹/₂ lengths.

Pletcher, a four-time winner in the Belmont, gave the son of 2018 Triple Crown champion Justify a few weeks to breeze, considered other options and decided to give it a go in the $2 million race.

“The horse is here, he’s doing well, I don’t see a whole lot of pace in the race, we’ve got [jockey] John Velazquez available,” Pletcher said. “I couldn’t come up with a reason not to give it a try.”

Crudo’s name, not surprisingly, has ties to the culinary world.

“I came up with the name,” Flay said, explaining he acknowledged raw talent, though on menus everywhere the word means raw fish. “It’s so hard to name these horses. I liked the fact that it meant raw because he was such a young horse when we bought him and he had talent.

“I told Jimmy what I named him and he was like, ‘Really?’ He wasn’t impressed,” Flay added about his partner, who is in commercial real estate and has been involved in horse racing for more than 30 years. “Naming horses and naming restaurants. If they turn out to be good, the name makes perfect sense. It couldn’t be anything else.”

Flay spent much of his spring rooting on his beloved Knicks from the first few rows at Madison Square Garden.

Like most fans, he reveled in the team’s longest playoff run in 25 years and still is feeling the disappointment.

“I remember all the playoff seasons when we ran into Michael Jordan,” said Flay, who lists the Knicks and Yankees as his biggest sports passions. “We were good then, but we kind of couldn’t get past it. It was fun to watch those guys play this year. They’re a really good team and, unfortunately, they lost to Indiana.”

Flay said he was surprised at the firing of coach Tom Thibodeau.

“I am. I thought he did a good job. I mean, we beat the world champions. We beat the Celtics soundly,” he said. “A couple things go different ways and you’re in the Finals. I don’t always think that new is a good idea, but it’s not my team.”

His team on Saturday is Crudo-Flay-Ventura-Pletcher.

“Both Bobby and Jimmy love horse racing. Bobby’s been terrific to train for, for a number of years,” Pletcher said. “He’s knowledgeable and also always says, ‘You can make the decision.’ We’ve had some success together and these guys are fun to train for.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
California man allegedly crafted assassination list targeting federal officials in White supremacist plot

California Man Accused of Creating Hit List Aimed at Federal Officials in White Supremacist Scheme

A California man alleged to be a White supremacist and a member…
Charlize Theron, 49, makes candid sex confession about hookup with a 26-year-old

Charlize Theron, 49, Opens Up About Intimate Encounter with a 26-Year-Old

Charlize Theron recently had a “f–king amazing” hookup with a 26-year-old. The…
Kate Middleton admits she's 'not able to function normally' after cancer treatment

Kate Middleton Reveals Struggles with Functioning Normally Post-Cancer Treatment

Kate Middleton made an emotional admission about her life post-cancer treatment. While…
StopAntisemitism founder warns Mamdani as NYC mayor would be 'catastrophic' for residents

StopAntisemitism Founder Cautions: Mamdani’s Mayoralship Could Be Disastrous for NYC Residents

Liora Rez, the founder of StopAntisemitism, expressed that electing Zohran Mamdani as…
BIO Plots $2M Campaign to Remove RFK

BIO Launches $2 Million Effort to Dismiss RFK

A leaked memo surfaced outlining a plot to remove US Secretary of…
Overgrown yard with a trampoline and stacks of bricks.

Father Claims He Built a ‘Bunker’ at Home to Protect His Silent Children, Aged 6 and 9, Found in Woods

THE FATHER of the “ghost children” who were discovered living in the…
Russia ramps up offensives on 2 fronts in Ukraine as both sides seek an advantage before fall

Russia Intensifies Attacks on Two Fronts in Ukraine as Both Sides Strive for Upper Hand Before Autumn

A resurgent Russia has intensified military offensives on two fronts in Ukraine,…
Inside Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce's 'wonderful' lunch date near his hometown

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Enjoy a Delightful Lunch Date Near His Hometown

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift going out near his Ohio hometown hits…
Kanye West's Australia visa scrapped over ‘Heil Hitler’ song release

Kanye West’s Australian Visa Denied Due to Controversial ‘Heil Hitler’ Song

Kanye West was recently stripped of an Australian visa after he released…
Islanders sign KHL star Maxim Shabanov in free agency swing

Islanders Acquire KHL standout Maxim Shabanov in Free Agency Move

The Islanders had more moves to make in free agency. On Wednesday,…
Federal judge orders Mexican migrant seeking asylum to be released by ICE

U.S. Judge Mandates ICE to Release Mexican Asylum Seeker

A federal judge in Oregon has mandated the immediate release of a…
Portrait of Colonel Ruslan Goryachkin.

Leading Putin Commander Among ‘Many Killed’ as UK’s Storm Shadow Attack Destroys Russian HQ in Ukraine After Months

ONE of Vladimir Putin’s top commanders are among the multiple dead following…