SOUTH OZONE PARK, N.Y.--Swore, trained by Keri Brion and ridden by Stephen Mulqueen, won the G1, 150,000, 2 1/2 mile Lonesome Glory Handicap at Belmont at the Big A on Thursday, Sept. 18.
Swore defeats Welshman in Lonesome Glory (Photo by Tod Marks)Stone Farm and Upland Flats Racing’s Swore set the pace and was overtaken in the stretch by Welshman, trained by Jack Fisher, but battled back gamely along the inside to win by a neck.
Brion has now racked up an impressive record n G1 steeplechase stakes at New York tracks.
This was Brion's third win in the four Grade 1 steeplechase races held at The New York Racing Association, Inc. racetracks, adding to wins in the A.P. Smithwick Memorial Handicap with Historic Heart and the Jonathan Sheppard Handicap with Jimmy P at Saratoga.
Brion also won this trio of races in 2021 in what was then a clean sweep of NYRA’s top steeplechase events as Baltimore Bucko won the Smithwick and subsequent Eclipse Award Champion The Mean Queen won the Sheppard and Lonesome Glory.
The Beverly Steinman was added in 2024 to make it four Grade 1 races in New York.
Swore, a 6-year-old gelding by Broken Vow, was comng off a 2 1/4-length win in a Maiden Special Weight at Colonial Downs on Aug. 21.
He made just his third start over jumps in the Lonesome Glory, and posted the professional win by a neck while carrying the second lowest weight in the field of eight at 144 pounds.
"HE'S BEEN great since Day One, and the jumping has always been great,” Brion said. “We actually did a wind surgery on him when I got him before he ever ran over jumps, and that's why he didn't debut until summer. I've had him since November. The owners have been super patient and basically whatever I want to do with him, they've been great about.”
Swore leading early in the race (Photo by NYRA)Swore led from the start with the favorite Zarak the Brave a close second through the first lap and a half over the firm footing.
Bee Well was third with Travesuras just behind him before those two swapped places passing the wire for the second time.
Gerard Galligan made an early move aboard Travesuras heading into the backstretch for the final time and attempted to advance between Swore and Zarak the Brave, with Welshman joining them to make it a compact group of four at the front.
Travesuras then lost ground approaching the final fence and Welshman accelerated three-wide to make his bid in the final turn.
Zarak the Brave dropped back in third as Swore and Welshman sped away from him, with Welshman pulling a half-length in front at the top of the stretch under Graham Watters, and he appeared poised to draw off to victory.
A determined Swore refused to let Welshman get away from him, and dug in through the final 100 yards to stick his neck back in front on the inside and win in a final time of 4:38.39.
“This was only his third run over jumps, so it is never ideal to be in front, but it is all about momentum with him,” Mulqueen said. “He jumped brilliant in front, so I wasn't bothered being there. I thought when I turned in and Graham went by, he looked like he was going quite well, but then he never picked up and went away from me. I got one little flick into my horse and he was game, he went looking for the line."
"We were pitching him in deep, I'd have been happy with second,” Mulqueen said. “I'd be happy with my run, I wasn't going to beat him up to be a well-beaten second. But when I straightened him up, he went looking for the line and picked up well."
Sweet Will, trained by Arch Kingsley, rallied to finish third another 1 1/2 lengths back with Hidden Path, trained by Ricky Hendriks, fourth.
Bee Well, Zarak the Brave, Travesuras and Caramelised, who trailed throughout, completed the order of finish. Evie’s Prince was scratched.
Brion said she reassured Mulqueen that Swore could handle being on the lead despite his two previous efforts coming with off-the-pace tactics.
“I had a feeling there wasn't much pace and I think the horse just stays going. He doesn't have a big turn-of-foot, but he just goes all day long,” Brion said. “I said to him, 'just so you know, if you are up there, I wouldn't be worried.' They went slow early, he was well within himself but he jumped so good. At the last, he needed him, and he came up out of his hands and flew - Welshman came up to him with loads of horse it looked like, but he wasn't hanging on to much when he actually let him down where Swore just kept finding more and more. And 144 [pounds], that's the trick with these Grade 1s in the summer - take advantage of the weight you have off. They're Grade 1s but they're handicaps."
Brion added Swore could come under consideration for the 2 5/8-mile Grade 1 Grand National on Oct. 18 at Far Hills.
"Jimmy P doesn't like Far Hills, I've tried, he never runs well there, so he won't go there, he might go Gold Cup and onward to the Colonial Cup. But this horse will love Far Hills,” Brion said. “Now it's a question do you go to the Novice Stakes or take a shot in the big race level weights against the big boys, we'll see. It's a good problem to have."
"I got Swore after Graham Motion trained him on the flat," said Brion. "He was also bred by Stone Farm, so it's neat to have a flat stable win a steeplechase. Maybe it will make more flat owners turn to steeplechasing.
Bred in Kentucky by Stone Farm, Swore made 12 starts on the flat for Motion, including a maiden win in 2023 at Kentucky Downs, before moving to the Brion barn for this year’s campaign over jumps.
