Every morning, at 4:45, Tony Dutrow waits – for the longest red light in neighborhood history. It’s always red.
Saturday morning, the light at Five Points was green.
Dutrow knew then and there what was going to happen Saturday afternoon.
“It’s just how life is, I get to that light that’s red every day, I’m waiting on it every day, I mean every day,” Dutrow said. “Today it was green. At that point, I said, ‘We’re winning the Alabama.’ “
Thirteen hours and 24 minutes after that green light, Embellish The Lace won the Alabama. Owned by Alex and JoAnn Lieblong, the daughter of Super Saver led every step of the Grade 1 stakes to score by 1 ¼ lengths over I’m A Chatterbox and Curalina. Ridden by Javier Castellano, Embellish The Lace finished 10 furlongs in 2:01.97.
“I’m overwhelmed. I’m overwhelmed. I’m overwhelmed. I’m so happy. I really believed we had a real chance of running this way today, I truly did,” Dutrow said from the winner’s circle. “At 57 years old, like all of us, to work so hard, to watch it come to fruition in two minutes, it’s just magical.”
To read the rest of the Alabama recap, download Sunday’s digital edition of The Saratoga Special presented by Keeneland.
