Cash is King and LC Racing's Ridin With Biden, second to First Captain in last year's Dwyer (G3), slowed things down early and came home running for an easy 6 ¼-length victory in Saturday's $100,000 Deputed Testamony at Laurel Park.
The 1 1/8-mile Deputed Testamony for 3-year-olds and up was the richest of five stakes worth $400,000 in purses on a 10-race program that marked the last of Laurel's three spectacular Saturdays in July featuring a total of 11 stakes worth $1.05 million.
Preceding the Deputed Testamony were four $75,000 stakes restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses. Divine Huntress won the Miss Disco for 3-year-old fillies, Spun Glass took the Jameela for fillies and mares 3 and up on the grass, Alottahope captured the Star de Naskra for 3-year-olds, and Justwaveandsmile won the Ben's Cat on turf for 3-year-olds and up.
With regular rider Frankie Pennington aboard for trainer Robert E. 'Butch' Reid Jr., Ridin With Biden ($7.60) completed the distance in 1:50.30 over a fast main track to become a stakes winner in his 15th start.
“We were fortunate enough to get a good break and get good position early on and I think that really helped us a lot,” Pennington said. “Like me and Butch talked about, [if] a crazy pace goes in front of us we'll sit because he can sit and make a run. We ended up getting out there easy. Butch had him ready and when I asked him for home he really took off.”
Pennington kept a snug hold on Ridin With Biden as they coasted through an opening quarter-mile in :24.60 and a half in 48.94 with only mild pressure from Tappin Cat, who exited a victory in the one-mile Sussex July 7 at Delaware Park in his prior start. Commandeer, racing first time since a fifth in the April 2 Ghostzapper (G3) at Gulfstream Park, and Grade 3 winner Magic Michael were also part of the early mix.
Plot the Dots came up the rail to get into a challenging position down the backstretch, moving into third after six furlongs went in 1:13.31. Pennington took a quick peek behind him rounding the far turn and had plenty left once straightened for home, opening up through the lane.
Favored at 8-5, Plot the Dots finished second, 2 ¾ lengths ahead of Magic Michael. It was another 1 ¼ lengths back to Treasure Trove in fourth followed by Tappin Cat and Commandeer. Armando R was scratched.
“He caught me by surprise. It looked like he tried to break through the gate once so I thought Frankie must have him really cranked up,” Reid said. “But he settled so nicely for him and put that half a length on them. When I saw the half-mile time I was feeling pretty good at that point.”
A 4-year-old son of multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Constitution, Ridin With Biden has placed in all five of his starts since being gelded to start this year, including an open allowance win July 17 at Delaware Park. Last out he was second by two lengths behind multiple graded-stakes winner Tax in the 1 1/16-mile Battery Park July 9, also at Delaware.
“It made him into a completely different horse,” Reid said. “It was just a very wise move by the owners and the management team to do something like that, and it's worked wonders for this horse. He was a little bit of a bad actor back in the stall and he's calmed down so much. He shipped down here perfectly and was great in the paddock, so I couldn't ask for things to be any better.”
The Deputed Testamony returned to the Maryland stakes calendar in 2020 after not having been run since 2008. It pays homage to the last Maryland-bred winner of the Preakness Stakes (G1), who upset Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Sunny's Halo in 1983. Bred and raced by Bonita Farm and Francis P. Sears and trained by Bill Boniface, Deputed Testamony also won the 1983 Haskell (G1) and Federico Tesio.
Grade 1-Placed Divine Huntress Earns First Stakes Win In Miss Disco
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Long Valley Stables' Grade 1-placed Divine Huntress, facing fellow Maryland-breds for the first time, battled the length of the stretch with Sweet Gracie to her inside before getting her nose down on the wire to earn her first career stakes victory in the $75,000 Miss Disco.
Ridden by Victor Carrasco, Divine Huntress ($3.20) completed seven furlongs in 1:24.23 over a fast main track to give trainer Graham Motion his second win in the Miss Disco following Majestic Reason in 2018.
It was the first win for Divine Huntress, a daughter of Divining Rod, since taking a January 19 optional claimer at Parx in her 3-year-old debut. She had been facing graded stakes company in her previous four starts, finishing fifth to Interstatedaydream in the 1 1/8-mile Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 20 at Pimlico and second behind Matareya in the one-mile Acorn (G1) June 11 at Belmont Park.
Little Bit of That, making her stakes debut, broke sharply and quickly established the lead with Petition Prayer to her outside and Divine Huntress in the clear in third. Sweet Gracie moved up along the rail to get into second as Little Bit of That went a half in :46.18, with Divine Huntress poised three wide.
Divine Huntress moved past Little Bit of That at the top of the stretch but Sweet Gracie was a determined foe inside, and the two raced to the wire together as Petition Prayer came flying with a late run but finished third, a neck behind Sweet Gracie.
Alottahope Dominates In Star De Naskra Victory
No Guts No Glory Farm's Alottahope became a stakes winner in spectacular fashion, handing previously unbeaten Super Love his first defeat while powering to a 15-length triumph in the $75,000 Star de Naskra.
Owned and trained by Jerry Robb, who won the 2004 Star de Naskra at Pimlico with Move to Strike, Alottahope ($5.40) finished up in 1:22.91 over a fast main track, the third-fastest of 11 times the race has been run at seven furlongs. It has primarily been contested at six furlongs and was held at one mile in 1985.
Alottahope, a younger half brother to eight-time stakes-winning mare Street Lute, and jockey Jevian Toledo were content to sit off the a pace set by his Robb-trained and co-owned stablemate Al Loves Josie, ridden by Xavier Perez. Super Love entered the race with a perfect 3-0 record but broke awkwardly and then rushed up to join the leaders but was unable to get around Al Loves Josie on the backstretch and raced in third.
Alottahope, second to turf and dirt stakes winner Joe in the 2021 Maryland Juvenile, continued to press Al Loves Josie until taking over the top spot leaving the far turn and had nothing but daylight in front of him, sprinting clear of his rivals through the lane.
Buff Hello, the 2021 Maryland Million Nursery winner, got up to be second by 2 ¼ lengths over Al Loves Josie.
Jockey Horacio Karamanos lodged a claim of foul against Toledo for interference on the backstretch, but it was disallowed.
Late-Running Justwaveandsmile Takes Ben's Cat
Steve Newby's Justwaveandsmile came with a strong late run on the far outside to pass 3-5 favorite Grateful Bred and Grade 3 winner Jaxon Traveler and earn his third consecutive win and sixth in a row on the turf in the $75,000 Ben's Cat at Laurel Park.
The victory marked was the first career stakes win for jockey Jean Alvelo as well as Justwaveandsmile, a son of Secret Circle owned by Steven T. Newby.
“[It's] more than amazing. It's a dream come true,” Alvelo said. “You come in here every morning and work horses and try to do the best you can. I really do appreciate all the help from Dale and the owner. I'm more than excited.”
Front-runners Grateful Bred and Jaxon Traveler could not hold off Justwaveandsmile's late flourish on the far outside. The gelding ran 1:04.46 over a Kelso turf course rated good to edge Grateful Bred by a neck, with Jaxon Traveler a length back in third.
Justwaveandsmile returned $13.40. He notched his eighth win from 17 career starts.
Spun Glass Breaks Through With Stakes Win In Jameela
Larry Johnson's homebred Spun Glass split horses in midstretch and held off a host of late challengers including defending winner and stablemate Ellanation on the far outside to earn her first stakes victory in the $75,000 Jameela.
It was the fifth career win for Spun Glass, a 5-year-old daughter of Hard Spun, and third with jockey Feargal Lynch aboard.
Lynch was unhurried on Spun Glass as Golden Can sped through a quarter mile in :22.70 and a half in :47.81 with two-time turf sprint stakes winner Can the Queen giving chase to her outside. A gap between the top two opened as they came down the stretch and Lynch put Spun Glass through to get to the front, powering home by 1 ½ lengths in 1:04.28 over a Fort Marcy turf course labeled as good.
Ellanation, like Spun Glass trained by Michael Trombetta, raced far back early before making a big late run on the far outside to edge 35-1 long shot Island Philo by a head for second.
The Jameela was the fourth race this year for Spun Glass, seventh behind Can the Queen in the May 20 The Very One at Pimlico in her first start in nearly eight months. With Saturday's win her record improves to five wins from 17 lifetime starts.
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