Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables and Magic City Stables' Hello Beautiful picked up where she left off in 2020 while punching her ticket for a return to graded-stakes competition with a front-running victory in Saturday's $100,000 What a Summer at Laurel Park in Maryland.
The 35th running of the What a Summer for fillies and mares 4 and older and the 25th edition of the Fire Plug for 4-year-olds and up, both sprinting six furlongs, were among six stakes worth $550,000 in purses on a Winter Carnival program that opened Maryland's 2021 stakes calendar.
It was the fifth career stakes victory for Hello Beautiful ($2.40), third in a row and third of the day for jockey Sheldon Russell, following Gale in the $75,000 Geisha and Wendell Fong in the $100,000 Fire Plug. The winning time was 1:10.67 over a main track rated good.
Russell's wife, trainer Brittany Russell, and the connections are hoping to use the What a Summer as a stepping-stone to the $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3), contested at seven furlongs Feb. 13 at Laurel.
“To be fair, I think she's better going seven-eighths,” Sheldon Russell said. “So, she has options. She showed us last time I rode her that she can rate. Hopefully she can keep progressing and we can have some fun with her this year.”
Breaking from Post 3 in a field of eighth as the 1-5 favorite, Hello Beautiful was quickly on the lead and kept busy through a quarter-mile in 22.22 seconds and a half in 45.54 by 10-time winner Malibu Mischief, who moved within a half-length on the turn as their rivals lagged behind.
“It almost seems like in the races she runs in now there's always one or two [horses] that have a lot of speed, but me and Brittany sit down the night before every time she runs and people forget, our filly's fast, too,” Sheldon Russell said. “She's extremely fast out of the gate and coming into the race she was very fresh and she was doing well.”
Maryland-bred Hello Beautiful, by Golden Lad, opened up again with little urging from Russell to take a four-length advantage into the stretch and was never threatened while geared down as 10-1 long shot Club Car closed for second.
“I always ride her the same way. I bounce her out of there and if somebody wants to get crazy or get me outrun, I'll have to go to Plan B. But, she's free-rolling filly so I just jump out and leave her alone,” Russell said. “She gets comfortable in front and she's very easy to ride. A great job to Brittany and her team. I'm just very happy she won again for us.”
Club Car, fourth in the Willa On the Move Dec. 26 at Laurel, was 8 ½ lengths ahead of 23-1 long shot Bridlewood Cat in third. They were followed by Escapade, Malibu Mischief, Tarawa, New York Groove and Cause I'm Edgy.
Hello Beautiful improved to 7-0 lifetime at Laurel, including stakes wins at 2 in the Maryland Million Lassie and Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship, and 3 in the Maryland Million Distaff and Safely Kept, the latter two to cap her 2020 campaign.
Now 7-for-13 lifetime with earnings approaching $400,000, Hello Beautiful was sixth behind Frank's Rockette in her only previous graded-stakes attempt, the six-furlong Prioress (G2) last September at Saratoga.
The What a Summer honors the Eclipse Award-winning sprinter of 1977, bred in Maryland and a winner of 18 of 31 lifetime starts. Trained by the late Bud Delp and Leroy Jolley, both Hall of Famers, she won nine stakes including the Fall Highweight Handicap and Silver Spoon Handicap twice, and the Black-Eyed Susan.
Wendell Fong Gives Lynch First Winner in $100,000 Fire Plug
Gold Square's Wendell Fong came with a steady run on the far outside to run down Grade 3 winner Share the Ride approaching the wire and give trainer Natalia Lynch her first career victory in the $100,000 Fire Plug.
Wendell Fong ($15.80) ran six furlongs in 1:10.01 over a main track rated good to earn his second career stakes victory and second of the day for jockey Sheldon Russell following Gale in the $75,000 Geisha. Lynch had gone winless in her first 16 starts as a trainer dating back to last summer.
“It was me and my mom and my son watching it at home and we were screaming and crying. It was amazing,” Lynch said by phone. “I think it's been holding off until this horse. I really think it was. He just means more to me than the world. To have it with him, I'll never forget it.”
Lynch, 26 is a native of Maryland who began galloping horses while attending Walter Johnson High School in Montgomery County. She has a long association with Wendell Fong going back to when she was working as an assistant to trainer Jeremiah Englehart, overseeing his Laurel string. Lynch helped prepare the now 5-year-old son of Flat Out for his debut, which he won in the final month of 2018, as well as his lone prior stakes victory in the 2019 Gold Fever at Belmont Park.
After getting a class break in his last two starts, Wendell Fong returned to stakes company and rewarded Lynch's devotion and dedication. Lynch was winless with four seconds from 16 starters since going out on her own last summer; Wendell Fong was No. 17.
“I had spoken to Talie last night and she pretty much said to just sort of leave him alone, sort of don't send him and don't take him back,” Russell said. “He's a professional horse. Drawing from the inside I didn't really have any options but to stay quiet, and to be fair I actually clipped heels so he took a little stumble and I was probably a little further back than I wanted to be. What a cool horse to ride. He was ready today. Great job to Talie and her team. I'm very happy to get Talie her first win as a trainer.”
Breaking from the rail inside his six rivals, Wendell Fong clipped heels with 2020 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) winner Laki shortly out of the gate and trailed the field as Maryland Million Sprint winner Karan's Notion and multiple stakes winner Lebda alternated through fractions of 22.17 and 45.24 seconds. Wendell Fong began gaining ground on the turn and was set down once straightened for home, getting up by a neck in the final jump.
“It just felt like they were going really fast early on and he just got so comfortable down the backside. At about the three-eighths pole I was just showing him a little bit of daylight on the outside and he started picking them up,” Russell said. “At the top of the stretch he just jumped on the bridle and was really trying. He was well-prepared today. Great job to Talie and her team.”
Share the Ride was second, 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Lebda. It was another 2 ¼ lengths back to 2-1 favorite Laki in fourth, followed by Karan's Notion, Arthur's Hope and Penguin Power.
Wendell Fong had not won since the Gold Fever. With Lynch staying home, trainer Brittany Russell saddled the horse. Russell was one of several trainers Lynch worked for before going out on her own.
“It's really cool because I worked for Brittany and Sheldon and I wouldn't have wanted to do it with other people than them. It's just as rewarding that it was with them as well,” Lynch said. “Everyone kept calling me and telling me congratulations, but I'm more happy for him than myself. He really deserves it. It's good to see his confidence back. It's been a while.”
The Fire Plug is named for the popular gelding that won or placed in 49 of 54 lifetime starts, mostly sprinting, and registered 14 stakes victories including at least one every year from age 3 to 7. He retired in 1991 with 28 wins and $705,175 in purse earnings.
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