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By My Standards Earns Nose Victory Over Rushie In Oaklawn Mile

A three-time graded stakes winner last year as a 4-year-old including a victory in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap, Allied Racing Stable and Spendthrift Farm's By My Standards successfully began his 5-year-old campaign with a hard-fought win in the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile, one of the co-features on Arkansas Derby day at the Hot Springs, Ark., track.

Ridden by Gabriel Saez for trainer Bret Calhoun, By My Standards – a 5-year-old by Goldencents – was up just in time to beat Rushie by a nose, covering one mile on a fast main track in 1:37.02 and paying $6.80 as the second choice in the wagering behind the runner-up, who was sent off the 9-5 favorite.

Wells Bayou finished third, followed by Gun It, and Blackberry Wine.

Pioneer Spirit, a 21-1 longshot, outran Rushie to get the early lead, going fractions of :23.21, :47.82 and 1:12.68 for the opening six furlongs. Blackberry Wine applied pressure from the outside on the final turn, with Rushie and jockey Joel Rosario getting through on the inside on the turn for home and quickly taking command. By My Standards was travelling well on the outside and came up to challenge the leader in mid-stretch. Rushie was not finished, however, fighting back gamely under Rosario and just losing the head bob at the wire.

The win was the seventh in 15 career starts for By My Standards, who was bred in Kentucky by Don Ladd. He won the G2 Louisiana Derby at 3 and added the G2 New Orleans Classic, Oaklawn Handicap and G2 Alysheba Stakes last year at 4.

Rushie, trained in Southern California by Michael McCarthy, was also making his seasonal debut after a 3-year-old campaign that included one stakes victory in the G2 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs Sept. 5.

Post-race quotes:

Winning Trainer Bret Calhoun, By My Standards: “Watching it live, I thought he did (win). But when I started watching the replay, I thought he might have gotten beat on the bob. He was really ready. He really was well prepared, but I was more concerned about the short stretch mile, honestly. He's just a really good horse and he keeps overcoming. Honestly, I thought he might get shuffled back a little farther than he did. I thought Gabe (Saez) did a great job getting him in a very good position early without having to use too much horse. It kind of played out like we thought. There was quite a bit of speed in there. Some of the horses on the outside had speed and they had to make some quick decisions. Gabe just rode a great race. Fortunate enough to get him in a good spot early. It took every bit of that stretch to get there. It was a great race.”

Winning jockey Gabriel Saez, By My Standards: “I was trying to get that one position I wanted on the first turn. I got bounced around a little bit, but I relaxed and just tried to keep in that striking position. I was worried about the four (Rushie) inside of me a little bit, but when I saw him go through, I started to go after him. When we turned for home, my horse just left them and kicked in the extra gear I was expecting from him. Luckily we got there.”

Trainer Brad Cox, third with Wells Bayou: “Ran real well. Thought it was a big effort. Kind of pulled a little bit up the backside, but when he caught daylight down on the inside he was able to get a clean run in the lane and ran on. I thought it was a very good effort.”

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Horologist Makes Successful Return From Layoff In Top Flight Invitational

Three-time graded stakes winner Horologist recaptured her 2020 form in notching a comeback triumph in Saturday's 80th running of the $100,000 Top Flight Invitational, a nine-furlong test for older fillies and mares at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the New Jersey-bred daughter of Gemologist is owned by There's A Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Paradise Farms Corporation and David Staudacher.

Last season, Horologist put together a successful 4-year-old campaign which earned her New Jersey Horse of the Year honors. Her accomplishments included triumphs in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park and the Grade 2 Beldame Invitational at Belmont Park, where she finished ahead of graded stakes winners Point of Honor and Dunbar Road. Horologist capped off her prosperous season in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland when ninth to Monomoy Girl.

Off the five-month respite, Horologist broke sharply from post 5 but allowed Grade 3 Comely victress Mrs. Danvers to dictate terms into the first turn. Jockey Junior Alvarado kept Horologist one path to the pacesetter's outside in second through easy opening fractions of 24.72 for the quarter-mile and 49.55 for the half-mile over the fast main track.

Around the far turn, Horologist inched her way up to even terms with Mrs. Danvers and put up a furious bid when asked. Jockey Kendrick Carmouche started getting busy aboard Mrs. Danvers, who was a persistent customer toward the inside. Just outside the eighth pole, Horologist put a nose in front and never relinquished, taking her 5-year-old debut by one length in a time of 1:52.14.

It was another neck to Sonata Stable's Lucky Stride, last-out winner of the Nellie Morse at Laurel Park, who was compromised at the start but produced a late-closing effort to complete the trifecta.

Queen Nekia, Thankful and Flashndynamite completed the order of finish.

The victory was a fifth overall stakes win for Horologist, who defeated her Garden State-bred counterparts in the 2019 Smart N Classy and Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks for former trainer John Mazza.

Returning $4.00 as the even-money favorite, Horologist upped her lifetime earnings past the three-quarter million mark to $770,439 and a record of 21-8-2-4.

The win was a third stakes triumph of the 11-day Aqueduct spring meet for Mott and Alvarado, who previously teamed up with Modernist in the Grade 3 Excelsior as well as Grade 3 Distaff Handicap winner Paris Lights who, like Horologist, also was making her first start of 2021.

“Coming off the layoff, this track is very tiring and I didn't want to be on the lead and have someone putting pressure on me the whole way,” said Alvarado, who was aboard Horologist for her Beldame Invitational triumph. “It took me a little bit to get her settled, but when she settled on the backside, I knew it was good. When she [Mrs. Danvers] came back to me, I knew we were good after that. Turning for home, I had to ask her a little bit, but it's not easy coming from a layoff on this track going a mile and an eighth. She really tried. I was pretty happy with the way she did it. She was the class of the race.”

Carmouche said Hall of Fame trainer Shug McCaughey left the ball in his court in terms of setting the pace.

“Shug said I could do either way; if I wanted the lead or if I wanted to sit off it,” Carmouche said. “I figured coming out of there, I'd see what happens. If I let Junior have the lead, it was going to be too easy, and I'd rather do it than have him do it. The filly ran well. She fought back gamely it was just a better horse beat us today.”

Bred by Holly Crest Farm, Horologist is out of the Stephen Got Even mare Cinderella Time.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Aqueduct with a nine-race card featuring the $100,000 Plenty of Grace for fillies and mares going one mile over the inner turf. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

Post-race quotes:

Adam Beschizza (winning rider of Silver Dust)
“He's a very talented animal and he's proven at this level. These small fields, I feel like he gets a hold of the race a lot easier. Today he had a nice stalking position and he had a hold of the race at the right time. He took the bull by the horns and he dug deep. Thank you very much to (owner) Mr. (Tom) Durant and (trainer) Mr. (Bret) Calhoun. I know (Calhoun has) a busy day at Oaklawn today, but this will surely lift his spirits and I just want to thank him for keeping faith in me.”

Jade Lowder (assistant to winning trainer Bret Calhoun)
“I just think he's been good lately. He's been ready to throw a race like this and Bret's done a great job with him. Five-horse field, outside trip the whole way. I think he really liked the track and liked the going.”

Javier Castellano (rider of runner-up Night Ops)
“He was closing well down the center of the track. He ran a good race and tried hard.”

Tom Drury (trainer of fourth-place finisher Sprawl)
“He ran his eyeballs out today. He really tried hard.”

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Silver Dust Finds Sloppy Going To His Liking In Ben Ali

Tom Durant's veteran Tapit gelding, Silver Dust, emerged from a five-horse blanket finish to win Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Ben Ali Stakes over a sloppy main track at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. Adam Beschizza was aboard the winner for trainer Bret Calhoun.

Night Ops, the 4-5 favorite, was second, beaten a half-length, with Beau Luminarie third, Sprawl fourth and Treasure Trove rounding out the field of five older runners. A total of three-quarters of a length separated the entire field at the wire.

Silver Dust covered 1 1/8 miles on the sloppy surface in 1:50.21 after fractions of :23.79, :47.63, 1:12.32 and 1:37.28. The third choice in the wagering at 9-2, Silver Dust paid $11.20 to win.

Sprawl jumped out to the early advantage, with Silver Dust just to his outside throughout the running of the Ben Ali. Beau Luminarie and Night Ops were in the second flight with Treasure Trove trailing the field.

Silver Dust poked his head in front rounding the final turn, but Sprawl continued to fight back along the inside. Those two were joined in deep stretch, by Beau Luminarie to Silver Dust's outside and Night Ops and Treasure Trove further to the outside.

The win was the fourth G3 victory for Silver Dust and his seventh win overall from 33 starts. The winner's share moved his career earnings to $975,677.

Silver Dust was bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation. He was produced from the Hard Spun mare, Filare L'Oro.

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Edgeway Earns Initial Stakes Victory In Oaklawn’s Carousel

Prominent from the outset, Hronis Racing LLC's Edgeway got the jump on even-money favorite Frank's Rockette and cruised to victory in Saturday's $250,000 Carousel Stakes at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., giving the daughter of Competitive Edge her first triumph in a black type race.

Trained by John Sadler and ridden by Joel Rosario, Edgeway ran the six furlongs on a fast main track in 1:10.13 and paid $4.60 as the second wagering choice in the field of six fillies and mare, aged 4 and up.

Frank's Rockette closed to within three-quarters of a length of Edgeway at the wire to be second, with Casual another 1 1/4 lengths back third and Wildwood's Beauty fourth.

Edgeway, third to Kimari in just her second career start in the Purple Martin Stakes at Oaklawn last year, was coming off a Feb. 7 allowance win at Santa Anita, her first start since a runner-up performance in the Grade 3 Dogwood Stakes at Churchill Downs last June. She trained up to the Carousel at Santa Anita.

Mucho Amor jumped out to an early lead, with Edgeway to her outside, but that pair was quickly joined by Wildwood's Beauty who rushed up along the inside to put her nose in front. Those three raced as a team, with Edgeway three wide around the turn and Frank's Rockette track her while a couple of lengths further back. Early fractions were :22.54 for the opening quarter mile and :46.12 for the half.

Edgeway took command in the stretch, passing the furlong marker in :58.08 and sailed on to victory, her fourth in six starts.

Produced from Magical Solution, by Stormin Fever, Edgeway is a 4-year-old bred in Kentucky by Pope McLean, Valerie and David Blethen. She sold for $275,000 at the OBS April Sale of 2-year-olds in training in 2019, where she was consigned by Mayberry Farm.

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