Even with a Hall of Fame trainer, Perplexed resembled a professional maiden through the first nine starts of his career, including four at Oaklawn Park.
But in the first Monday race of the Saratoga season, on the track that he debuted last Aug. 1, the 3-year-old bay colt rewarded what true believers he had left.
Bumped at the start, Perplexed found what the chartman called an "inviting hole" along the rail and won a $37,000 race for $20,000 maiden claimers by a half-length. Bred and owned by Zayat Stables, which also raced sire Maimonides, Perplexed went off at 114-1 and paid $232.50 to win. Winning time was 1:20.37 for 6 1/2 furlongs on a sloppy, but sealed surface.
"That's the biggest longshot of my career," said 81-year-old trainer Wayne Lukas, scoring his second Saratoga victory in four days.
Apprentice Luis Reyes rode the winner at 113 pounds, edging the Chad Brown-trained Your Secret's Safe, the odds-on favorite, after a long drive.
Perplexed finished third and fourth against maiden special weights and fourth and seventh against maiden claimers at Oaklawn. He finished third to the Jinks Fires-trained Colonelsdarktemper Feb. 18, the latter since winning a Churchill Downs allowance and placing second in two Grade 3 stakes.
Sports on 07/25/2017