Two Bits (American Pharoah) and Interstatelovesong (Bolt d'Oro) treated the Aqueduct faithful to an entertaining final-furlong tussle, with the former coming out just on top and the top two pulling a country mile clear of the others in Friday's Ruthless Stakes.
Outsprinted and at the back of a compact field as Interstatelovesong showed the way, Two Bits was angled down towards the inside and made steady progress to be just behind the dueling front-runners nearing the entrance to the turn.
Traveling comfortably in hand for the run into the final quarter mile, Two Bits availed herself of an opening at the rail as Interstatlovesong drifted into the two path and the battle was joined. Two Bits poked her head in front right at the eighth pole and refused to lie down from there to prove a very determined winner. Maryland raider Our Golden Gator (Golden Lad) rounded out the triple.
Off the board but not disgraced in her first three starts last season, Two Bits graduated by 1 3/4 lengths over this track's one-turn mile Nov. 29 and was most recently the distant runner-up to Dazzling Dame (Girvin) in the Jan. 3 Busanda Stakes.
“I think we ran into a very good horse last time,” Green said. “I'm very proud of her effort that day, too, and she's just coming on every time. From that last race to this race, her works in between have been very impressive. Her work last week, I told her owners it was probably her best work to date, so I was fairly confident coming in today. The cutback from a mile to seven furlongs was obviously the only question, but she handled it fine.”
A 63rd worldwide stakes winner for American Pharoah and the 133rd stakes winner out of a daughter of the late Bernardini, Two Bits was produced by dual Grade I-winning 3-year-old Finder's Fee, whose SP daughter Receipt (Dynaformer) is the dam of GSW & MGISP Feathered (Indian Charlie) and granddam of undefeated Horse of the Year Flightline (Tapit).
Spare Change is responsible for the 2-year-old colt Mr Webster (Tapit) and a yearling filly by Cody's Wish. She was covered by the aforementioned Flightline for her 2026 foal. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
RUTHLESS S., $135,000, Aqueduct, 2-6, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:24.11, ft.
1–TWO BITS, 123, f, 3, by American Pharoah
1st Dam: Spare Change, by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Finder's Fee, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Fantastic Find, by Mr. Prospector
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. ($75,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). O-EGL-One Racing; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Amelia J Green; J-Jaime Rodriguez. $74,250. Lifetime Record: 6-2-1-0, $167,000. *1/2 to Roman Centurian (Empire Maker), GSP, $249,117.
2–Interstatelovesong, 123, f, 3, Bolt d'Oro–Gentle Humor, by Distorted Humor. 1ST BLACK TYPE. ($90,000 RNA Ylg '24 KEESEP). O/B-Titletown Racing Stables (Paul Farr) (KY); T-Thomas Morley. $27,000.
3–Our Golden Gator, 123, f, 3, Golden Lad–Fix You, by Flying Chevron. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Matthew T Groff (MD); T-Michael M Moore. $16,200.
Margins: NK, 10, 1HF. Odds: 2.77, 3.31, 7.36.
Also Ran: Shilling, Midnite Ginny, Courage On Tap. Scratched: Ivy Girl.
#5 TWO BITS ($7.54) rallied up the inside under Jaime Rodriguez to win the $135,000 Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct. The daughter of American Pharoah (@coolmoreamerica) is trained by @Ameliajgreen and owned by EGL-One Racing. pic.twitter.com/O7ySm4Xz6e
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 6, 2026
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