Bob’s Edge Swoops To First Graded Win In Whitmore

Bob's Edge remained undefeated in 2022 when he came from last to score his first career graded stakes in Saturday's $200,000 Whitmore Stakes (G3) before a crowd of 37,500 at Oaklawn Park.

Last month, he won Oaklawn's $150,000 King Cotton Stakes for owners Michael and Patricia Freeny and Jennifer Grayson Taylor.
In the Whitmore, 5-2 favorite Hollis, who earlier in the meet set a track record, grabbed the early lead and proceeded to set the pace of :21.81 and :45.07 for the first half mile.

Bob's Edge was swung five wide by jockey Luis Quinonez turning for home and he quickly took control through the stretch to finish one length in front of late running Tulane Tryst in 1:09.42 for six furlongs over a fast track. Greeley and Ben edged Hollis by a neck for third.

Bob's Edge, a 4-year-old Competitive Edge gelding trained by Larry Jones, improved his career record to 6-1-4 in 13 starts and he has earned $516,428. He returned $7 as the 5-2 second choice.

“I think Bob is getting smart on us,” Jones said. “He's figured out it's better to run a quarter mile than it is five-eighths. So, he just waits until the quarter-pole and says, 'Here I come.' We thought he would be behind that first tier, but he just kind of sat back today and waited. We've learned with Bob, don't hustle him.”

The Whitmore Stakes, formerly the Hot Springs Stakes, is named in honor of the 2020 champion sprinter and seven-time Oaklawn stakes winner Whitmore, who won the Hot Springs four times.

Whitmore, who was retired last August, made a special appearance on the track and led the post parade for the race.

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Shake Em Loose Trounces Favorite In Private Terms

J R Sanchez Racing Stable's Shake Em Loose, a 59-1 upset stakes winner in his first race off the claim three starts back, proved the effort was no fluke by turning back even-money favorite Joe through the stretch to capture the $100,000 Private Terms by 1 ¾ lengths Saturday at Laurel Park.

The 33rd running of the Private Terms anchored five stakes worth $450,000 in purses on the St. Patrick's Day weekend program, co-headlined by the $100,000 Beyond the Wire for 3-year-old fillies, won by Luna Belle.

Contested around two turns at about 1 1/16 miles, the Private Terms is the penultimate race in Laurel's series of stakes for 3-year-olds, followed by the $125,000 Federico Tesio going 1 1/8 miles April 16, a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 21 at historic Pimlico Race Course.

Ridden by Charlie Marquez for owner-trainer Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon, Shake Em Loose completed the distance in 1:46.80 over a fast main track and returned $12.

Joe, recently named as Maryland's champion 2-year-old male of 2021, had his three-race win streak snapped but was a decisive second.

“You never really expect much of a horse until you get them in your hands. Then you have to go day by day and look at the horses,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “At the beginning, I thought he was just going to be a regular horse. I never thought he was going to be something like this. Day by day he's improving. He's showed me a lot.”

Joe's Michael Trombetta-trained stablemate Conclusive, sixth behind Local Motive in the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 19, broke running from his inside post and went the first quarter-mile in :23.73 and the half in 47.59 tracked closest by Local Motive. Shake Em Loose, breaking from the far outside, raced in the clear around the first turn as Joe dropped down to the rail in fourth.

Marquez, Maryland's teenage sensation and a finalist for the 2021 Eclipse Award as champion apprentice that won his first career stakes in last year's Private Terms with Shackled Love, launched his bid leaving the backstretch. Shake Em Loose swept into second midway around the far turn and moved to even terms with Conclusive after six furlongs in 1:12.80.

Shake Em Loose straightened for home with the lead and was set down for a drive as Joe, who had been tipped outside on the turn by jockey Victor Carrasco, greenly gave chase through the lane and had to settle for second, six lengths ahead of Local Motive, followed by Majestic Frontier, Conclusive, Micro Star and Eagle in Love. Maximum Impact was scratched.

“He's such a straightforward horse. I knew (Joe) was the horse to beat, so getting the jump on him was probably the most important part of the race,” Marquez said. “Once I asked him to run he really kicked on, and I just didn't want to get in his way from there.”

Sanchez-Salomon claimed Shake Em Loose for $16,000 out of a 3 ¾-length win last November at Laurel. In his subsequent start, he came from way back to win the seven-furlong Heft and began 2022 finishing a troubled seventh in the Spectacular Bid, where he broke in the air. He came into the Private Terms off a 3 ¾-length optional claiming allowance win Feb. 27 at Laurel, and the trainer said he would be pointed to the Tesio.

“That's our next step, if God permits us to get there and have a sound horse by then,” he said. “It's fun to have a horse like this, especially when you own him and train him.”

Private Terms raced in the colors of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Janney's Locust Hill Farm, winning 12 races, nine stakes and more than $1.2 million from 1987-89 including the 1988 Federico Tesio (G3) and Wood Memorial (G1) and 1989 Mass Cap (G2). His track record of 1:47 1/5 in winning the 1989 Never Bend Handicap at Pimlico still stands. He sired Grade 1-winning millionaires Soul of the Matter and Afternoon Deelites.

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Provocateur Keeps His Cool in Hutcheson Win

Provocateur came home strongest of six in his first career stakes victory for the partnership of MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm. Steadily improving since his eighth place career debut over a mile on the grass at Belmont Park Oct. 10, he weakened to fourth after dueling through six panels over the main track at the venue. Finding the winner's circle Dec. 23 down at Tampa Bay by 4 1/2 lengths as the 4-5 favorite, his connections opted to try their colt in the Jan. 15 Pasco S. for a 3-year-old bow with first-time Lasix, and he was outkicked late in the lane, finishing second by 2 1/2 lengths.

Coming off the diuretic for this contest, Provocateur overcame an early bump after the start to cruise from third behind early leader Golden Juan and 1-2 favorite Nitrous Channel. First to striking coming through the far turn, Irad Ortiz Jr. forced his rivals' hands and it was a three horse line at the top of the stretch. Kicking clear of the pacesetter, Provocateur and Nitrous Channel locked horns for the duel to the wire and  the former kicked clear in the final sixteenth to win by two lengths. It was Todd Pletcher's eighth win in the race. “We were a little confused about what he wanted to do early on. He wasn't training as promisingly as we had hoped. We thought he would improve a little bit on the grass,” Pletcher said in the post-race interview. “After that experience he seemed to improve in his dirt training and recently has really come around.”

Dam Cayala had shown an affinity for Into Mischief with all four of her offspring by him ending up winners and three earning black-type including GIII Southwest S. winner One Liner. She has five winners from five to race. There is a 2-year-old filly by Flatter on record and the mare is expecting a foal by Authentic this season.

HUTCHESON S., $100,000, Gulfstream, 3-19, 3yo, 6f, 1:09.60, ft.
1–PROVOCATEUR, 118, c, 3, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Cayala, by Cherokee Run
                2nd Dam: Chasethegold, by Touch Gold
                3rd Dam: Chasethewildwind, by Forty Niner
($600,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-Kingswood Farm & David Egan (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.. $61,380. Lifetime Record: SP, 5-2-1-0, $92,205. *Full to One Liner, GSW, $475,250.
2–Nitrous Channel, 118, c, 3, Nyquist–Laurenmychanelgirl, by Afleet Alex. ($200,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $625,000 2yo '21 FTFMAR). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-R. A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Spedale Family Racing, LLC; B-VinLaur Racing Stable, LLC (KY); T-George Weaver. $19,800.
3–Golden Juan, 118, c, 3, Fed Biz–Penumbra Moon, by Malibu Moon. ($1,500 Ylg '20 FTKOCT). O-R.T Racing Stable; B-Brandywine Farm (Jim & Pam Robinson) (KY); T-Rafael Ramos. $9,900.
Margins: 2, 6 1/4, HF. Odds: 2.50, 0.50, 26.10.
Also Ran: American Sanctuary, Sport Pepper, Desert Ruler. Scratched: Cattin.

Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Favorite Luna Belle Easy Winner Of Beyond The Wire

Deborah Greene and Hamilton Smith's Luna Belle made her first attempt at stretching out look easy, rolling to a fourth consecutive stakes victory in the $100,000 Beyond the Wire Stakes Saturday at Laurel Park.

The 34th running of the one-mile Beyond the Wire for 3-year-old fillies was the fourth of five stakes worth $450,000 in purses on the St. Patrick's Day weekend program, co-headlined by the $100,000 Private Terms for 3-year-olds.

Contested at one mile, the Beyond the Wire serves as a springboard to the $125,000 Weber City Miss Stakes April 16 at Laurel, which offers the winner an automatic berth to the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) May 20 at historic Pimlico Race Course.

Bred in Maryland by Greene, her late father Fred Greene Jr. and Smith, Luna Belle was sent off as the 1-5 favorite in a field of eight and hit the wire 3 ½ lengths ahead of 15-1 long shot Candy Light in second. The winning time was 1:38.93 over a fast main track.

“She's an incredible athlete in every way, shape and form. She's just a phenomenal, phenomenal racehorse,” said Smith's son and assistant, Jason. “She handled the mile beautiful.”

Luna Belle began her win streak in the Maryland Juvenile Fillies in mid-December to clinch champion Maryland-bred 2-year-old filly honors. She opened her sophomore season with victories in the six-furlong Xtra Heat and seven-furlong Wide Country, the latter her longest previous race.

Jockey Denis Araujo, aboard for all four races, positioned Luna Belle in the clear in third outside New York shipper Diamond Collector, who ran the opening quarter-mile in :24.19, and 50-1 long shot Click to Confirm. In her last start, Luna Belle found herself trailing the field at the same point and had to navigate traffic in the stretch to rally by two lengths.

“We asked him not to drop too far out of it early,” Smith said. “She likes to run a little bit closer, especially with that slow pace so it set up just about right.”

Luna Belle got into stride on the far turn and straightened for home in command after going six furlongs in 1:12.41 with Candy Light, exiting a maiden special weight victory Feb. 24, giving closest pursuit. She wound up 5 ½ lengths ahead of Click to Confirm in third, followed by Diamond Collector, She Is Wisky, Mama G's Wish, Red Wine Time and Ha' Penny.

“The game plan was to be a little bit closer than I was last time,” Araujo said. “Last time I was a little bit far back, but I think the speed and the distance change a lot. Running a mile or running seven-eighths or three-quarters is a big difference, but she still made it.

“Turning for home, she switched leads and she was gone,” he added. “I can tell you she's an amazing filly. Now she's won four races in a row, and not by accident. She showed so far she's the best of them, so I can't say much. She does it all herself.”

Run as the Caesar's Wish through 2017, the Beyond the Wire was renamed to recognize the founding of an industry-wide initiative between the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, Maryland Jockey Club, Maryland Horse Breeders Association and Maryland jockeys to facilitate safe and enriching placements for retired Maryland-based racehorses.

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