El Simon entered the sixth race sporting a 1 for 46 lifetime record yet was the favorite when the wagering began. He also wound up unexpectedly cruising on an easy lead after the 4-5 Gimmeawinkpoppy left the gate far behind the field after hesitating at the break and appearing to be briefly in the hands of the assistant starter before finally getting away. Admittedly El Simon had been overmatched and poorly placed in the majority of his previous ten starts this year, repeatedly facing open or starter allowance company all winter before finally getting a chance wtih conditioned claimers two back. He was even entered in an N3L in his most recent appearance before returning to the proper N2L level today. The 4-year-old did change hands prior to this start, winning for trainer Andy Williams. In the mean time Gimmeawinkpoppy ran his eyeballs out just to finish third despite taking up sharply on the turn and not changing leads down the stretch under apprentice Albin Jimenez.
Just as curious was the announcement made moments ago that Cinnamon Road had been scratched from the Blazing Sword Stakes. Cinnamon Road would have just cruised on the lead in this spot and likely gone postward the favorite. Perhaps trainer Milt Wolfson didn't want to run him over a turf course with some give to the ground. The late scratches may now give Mean Sax a chance to make the front just as he did when capturing the Mecke several weeks earlier.
