Hisbiscus Punch Rings Bell At $85.60 In Runhappy Barbara Fritchie

Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson's homebred Hibiscus Punch rolled up to dueling favorites Hello Beautiful and Dontletsweetfoolya on the far turn and cruised past once straightened for home, sprinting clear for a 41-1 upset in Saturday's $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) at Laurel Park in Maryland.

The 69th running of the Fritchie for fillies and mares 4 and older and the 45th edition of the $250,000 General George (G3) for 4-year-olds and up, both sprinting seven furlongs, co-headlined a Winter Sprintfest program of six stakes worth $900,000 in purses.

Originally scheduled for Feb. 13, Winter Sprintfest was pushed back a week after winter storms passed through the Mid-Atlantic region. Hibiscus Punch ($85.60) was making her graded-stakes debut off an entry-level allowance triumph Jan. 17 at Laurel going six furlongs.

“We just tried not to overdo it with her. She was coming back a bit quick,” winning trainer Justin Nixon said. “She was coming back in three weeks in the a-other-than and I think the extra week might have helped us.”

Jockey Horacio Karamanos, aboard for each of Hibiscus Punch's last three starts, earned his third career Barbara Fritchie victory following Lady Sabelia in 2015 and High Ridge Road in 2017.

“I felt like I can win this race because I talked to Justin Nixon when I breezed her last time. She breezed really easy and I told him this filly is good,” Karamanos said. “Last time when we won, I said, 'She's got them,' so I felt very confident. When I sat behind them and I asked her, she came running.

“I see the speed going, the two fillies to beat in front of me. I sat right behind them,” he added. “I had plenty of horse. In the middle of the turn, at the quarter pole, my filly went on her own.”

Hello Beautiful, a five-time stakes winner including each of her last three starts, and Dontletsweetfoolya, a winner of five consecutive races capped by back-to-back stakes, battled on the front end with Dontletsweetfoolya holding a short advantage after a quarter-mile in 22.75 seconds before Hello Beautiful went the half in 45.31 to nudge in front.

Meanwhile, Karamanos had Hibiscus Punch in striking position racing third when he ranged up on the leaders midway around the turn. The 6-year-old Into Mischief mare surged past and kept going, opening up to win by 2 ½ lengths after completing the distance in 1:23.16 over a fast main track.

Estilo Talentoso came running late down the center of the track to get second, 3 ½ lengths ahead of Club Car. Mutliple stakes winner Needs Supervision rallied to edge 2-5 favorite Hello Beautiful by a neck for fourth. Grade 3 winner Sharp Starr was fifth, followed by Dontletsweetfoolya and Suggestive Honor.

“I thought we were in pretty good shape, especially at the three-eighths pole. It looked like she was moving forward pretty well. Horacio gave her a great ride to settle her in and from there it was just good times,” Nixon said.

“He suits her to a 'T.' He knows her very well. He won on her in the a-other-than and he came and breezed her last week before all the storms and she breezed dynamite,” he added. “He was very happy and he said seven-eighths wouldn't be a problem for her.”

Now based at Laurel Park, Hibiscus Punch was making just her eighth career start in the Barbara Fritchie. She made her first four starts in 2019 over the grass and all-weather surfaces at Woodbine, debuting for Nixon off nearly a year layoff last November at Laurel.

Second to Dontletsweetfoolya in the six-furlong Willa On the Move, Hibiscus Punch came back to win her allowance by three lengths.

“We'll have to talk with Mr. Seltzer and Beverly [about what's next] and whatever they decide, we're thrilled,” Nixon said. “They're so patient and they're such great people to train for. Really it was their doing, this filly.”

The post Hisbiscus Punch Rings Bell At $85.60 In Runhappy Barbara Fritchie appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Hello Beautiful, Dontletsweetfoolya Prep For Barbara Fritchie Matchup

Multiple stakes winners Hello Beautiful and Dontletsweetfoolya set the stage for their first head-to-head matchup in the $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) Feb. 13 with sharp half-mile works over Laurel Park's main track Saturday.

The 69th running of the Fritchie for fillies and mares 4 and older and the 45th renewal of the $250,000 General's Stake (G3) for 4-year-olds and up, formerly the General George, highlight a Winter Sprintfest program offering six stakes worth $900,000 in purses.

Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables and Magic City Stables' Hello Beautiful was timed in 47.60 seconds, second-fastest of 68 horses at the distance. Jockey Sheldon Russell was aboard for his wife, trainer Brittany Russell.

Hello Beautiful owns five career stakes wins including three straight entering the Fritchie, the most recent coming in the six-furlong What a Summer Jan. 16 in her 4-year-old debut.

“She worked fantastic. We were absolutely pleased with her. Sheldon loved her, and she seems like she's ready to go,” Brittany Russell said. “You walk them over hoping they're doing as well as she is right now and you have to leave it up to them from there. We're giving her every opportunity to run a big one.”

Five Hellions Farm's Dontletsweetfoolya takes a five-race win streak into the Fritchie, which open her 4-year-old campaign. The Stay Thirsty filly ended 2020 with victories in the Nov. 28 Primonetta and Dec. 26 Willa On the Move, both going six furlongs at Laurel.

With regular rider Jevian Toledo up, Dontletsweetfoolya worked four furlongs in 48 seconds, ranking fifth. She went in company with newly turned 3-year-old filly Fraudulent Charge (48.20), who is being pointed to the $100,000 Wide Country on the Fritchie undercard.

“The work went very well. They got them in 48 and galloped out in a minute, so it was perfect, exactly what we wanted,” trainer Lacey Gaudet said. “I don't tell [Toledo] anything. Even the work this morning, they were all laughing at me because I was like, 'Don't go too fast, don't go too slow,' but when I walked up with him I said, 'You know how to work her,' and that's what he did. They did their thing.”

Also working Saturday for the Fritchie were Willa On the Move runner-up Hibiscus Punch, five furlongs in 1:01.40 at Laurel; and 2020 Go for Wand (G3) winner Sharp Starr, a half-mile in a bullet 47 seconds over Belmont Park's training track, the fastest of 140 horses.

Hillside Equestrian Meadows' Laki, whose six career stakes include the 2020 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) last fall at Pimlico Race Course, blazed four furlongs in a bullet 47.60 seconds Saturday at Laurel with jockey Horacio Karamanos in preparation for the General. Trained by Damon Dilodovico, Laki has won at least one stake every year since 2017.

“He worked well. We usually don't ask him for much in the morning. He was just ready to roll,” Dilodovico said. “He's training well. We got a really nice breeze out of him today and he cooled out well, so we'll see how he is the next couple days.”

Other horses nominated to the General breezing at Laurel Saturday were multiple stakes winner Lebda, four furlongs in 47.60 seconds, ranking second, and 2019 Remsen (G3) winner Shotski, a half-mile in 48 seconds.

Also prominent on Saturday's Laurel work tab were multiple stakes winners Kenny Had a Notion (six furlongs, 1:14.40) for the $100,000 Miracle Wood for 3-year-olds; Street Lute (five furlongs, 59.60 seconds) for the $100,000 Wide Country for 3-year-old fillies, the latter the fastest of 32 horses; and Cordmaker (five furlongs, 1:01) for the $100,000 John B. Campbell at about 1 1/16 miles for 4-year-olds and up.

Notes: Alexander Crispin, the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2020, registered a hat trick Saturday aboard Bring Me Answers ($4) in Race 2, Keepyourstakeson ($3.20) in Race 6 and Bananas On Fire ($6.60) in Race 9. Jockey Xavier Perez also doubled with Indian Lake ($5.40) in Race 1 and Seany P ($13.20) via disqualification in Race 8 … No one selected all six winners in the 20-cent Rainbow 6, growing the carryover jackpot to $1,559.76 for Sunday. Tickets with five of six winners were each worth $158.06.

The post Hello Beautiful, Dontletsweetfoolya Prep For Barbara Fritchie Matchup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights