A rich son of Alydar won the $595,000 Metropolitan Handicap yesterday at Belmont Park, but it was not the millionaire that almost everyone expected. Criminal Type ran down Housebuster in the final strides to win the Met by a neck as Easy Goer finished 1 1/2 lengths back in third as the 2-5 favorite, the worst finish of his career. A season-high crowd of more than 32,139 spectators lined the walking ring and grandstand rail to cheer Easy Goer, but this was simply not the same colt who electrified the racing world last year, winning more than $4 million and six Grade I stakes races. Easy Goer yesterday had no punch in the stretch after a trouble-free trip. Faced with making up just three lengths on the leaders in the final quarter-mile, he was not up to the task. Winner's Stock Rises It was the first time in 19 months that any horse but Sunday Silence had beaten Easy Goer, and the first time in 19 career starts that the son of Alydar and Relaxing had finished worse than second. As for Criminal Type, the 5-year-old son of Alydar and Klepto must now be considered the country's top horse. He won two handicaps in California earlier this year, beat a good field in the $1 million Pimlico Special on May 12, and yesterday ran down Housebuster, a 3-year-old who had won seven consecutive stakes races and might be the country's best sprinter of any age. Criminal Type is owned by Calumet Farm and trained by D. Wayne Lukas, who completed a sweep of Belmont's holiday-weekend stakes yesterday after sending out Stella Madrid to win the Acorn on Saturday and Profit Key to win the Peter Pan on Sunday. Jose Santos rode all three winners. Criminal Type carried 120 pounds, 7 more than Housebuster and 7 fewer than Easy Goer, and ran the mile in 1:34.55, a solid but not outstanding time over a fast track that was producing average times. Criminal Type has won 8 of 21 career starts and has earned $1,661,177. http://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/29/sports/criminal-type-outruns-housebuster-and-easy-goer-at-belmont.html

• published: 27 Mar 2013
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