Tag: Racing

Wellington Wonder Jumps From Maiden Win To Dominate First Lady Stakes

It was finally time for Wellington Wonder to shine. Fresh off her maiden-breaking win in her last start, the Warrior's Reward filly blasted by her opponents for a dominant win in the 18th running of the $100,000 Indiana First Lady Stakes Wednesday, Aug. 26 at Indiana Grand.

Trained by Michelle Lovell, Wellington Wonder started her journey from post five in the seven-filly lineup for jockey Alex Achard. Race favorite Copper Nickel and Rodney Prescott along with Nothingbutflowers and DeShawn Parker moved out for the lead, challenging each other for the top spot. Wellington Wonder opted to sit outside of Mintchocolatechip and Tommy Pompell, gapping several lengths off the top two.

Down the backstretch, Serena Beck and Emmanuel Esquivel made a big move around Wellington Wonder and Mintchocolatechip in pursuit of the leaders, catching up with the top two around the final turn of the one mile and 70-yard race. Wellington Wonder began moving up midway through the turn and at the top of the stretch, had a perfect shot to take control of the field. She continued to increase her advantage, winning by six and one-quarter lengths at the finish in 1:44.48. Serena Beck finished second over Dontyouremember and Jermaine Bridgmohan for third.

“She just keeps improving, she's always there,” said Achard, who has ridden the Wellington Wonder in all six of her career starts. “Today was a tough race. She doesn't like the dirt in her face. When the seven (Serena Beck) went by us, we gave up going with her because I knew that wasn't what was best. She is just consistent and gave me everything she's got. She is something special.”

A surprise to bettors, Wellington Wonder paid $22.20, $6.80, $3.80 across the board. It was her second win in four starts for 2020 for owners Jerry Romans, Charlie Spiring and Zoom and Fish Stable Inc., who purchased her from the Swifty Farm consignment as a yearling at the Fasig Tipton Sale in Kentucky for $25,000.

“This is a great group of friends that own this filly,” said Lovell, who is based at Churchill Downs with 20 horses. “They bought her at the sale. We have taken our time with her. We gave her the winter off, not because there was anything wrong, but because she is a big filly and we wanted to take our time because she's Indiana bred. We wanted to get her ready for Indiana and the summer stakes races. She's the only Indiana bred I have in my barn.”

Wellington Wonder earned her first stakes win in the effort. It also marked the first career stakes victory for Achard, who has been riding stateside for the past two years after relocating to the United States from his native France.

“I'm so happy for Alex,” added Lovell. “When he first got here (Midwest), I saw him win for someone else and thought he could really ride. He has always liked this filly and he knows her really well. She only has one big stride and he knows how to time his move. He works so hard, so I'm glad to see him get his first stakes win.”

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Jersey-Bred Valedictorian Takes On Talented Field In Eatontown Stakes

In a turf race that features two horses sired in Ireland, one in Great Britain, three from Chad Brown's powerhouse stable and one trained by Todd Pletcher, Kelly Breen will take his best shot with his classy Jersey-bred Valedictorian.

Monmouth Park's leading trainer says it's what she does and has always done – take on top-notch grass distaffers almost every time she races.

With Breen's hope that she may be the lone speed, Valedictorian will look to get back on track in Saturday's $150,000 Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes, the feature on Monmouth Park's 14-race card. She won the race a year ago, one of 12 career victories that have helped her to $737,115 in lifetime earnings.

“I think it's pretty neat having a Jersey-bred to run against all these good mares,” Breen said. “But if she happened to be running as good as she has in the past and she was from Oshkosh I'd still be proud of her.”

Breen will look to get the 6-year-old daughter of Temple City jumpstarted after an 0-for-5 start to her 2020 campaign, with only a pair of third-place finishes to show for it. But three of those starts have been against graded stakes company, including the Grade 1 Just A Game at Belmont Park on June 27.

In her most recent start, the Grade 3 Matchmaker Stakes at Monmouth, she faded to sixth after setting the pace for a good portion of the nine-furlong grass feature. The Eatontown is at a mile and sixteenth.

“There were no easy spots to bring her back this year,” said Breen, who is looking for his third Monmouth Park training title after topping the track's standings in 2005 and 2006. “There were just no spots out there to maybe get her an easy win. So she keeps going up against the best of the best.

“Yes, it's been frustrating but she is still running and her numbers are still good and she's doing well. She looks great. It's just been a lot of tough spots.”

The Eatontown looks to be another tough spot, with the Brown-trained Nay Lady Nay back after winning the Matchmaker on July 18. Tapit Today, also trained by Brown, was fourth in that same race, beaten just a length and three-quarters. His third starter be Noor Sahara, who will be making her third start in the United States after racing in France.

Pletcher, meanwhile, will be represented by Valiance, who is 2-for-2 on Monmouth Park's turf course and 4-for-4 at a mile and a sixteenth during her six-race career.

There's a field of eight entered as well as two main track only alternates.

“We'll see what happens with the weather but I think we could be the speed of the race,” said Breen. “Everything about this race will be helpful to her – the mile and a sixteenth, being back on her home track, which she loves, the chance she could be the speed. All of it. And she is doing well.”

Owned by Epic Racing, Valedictorian shows a 12-6-6 line from 35 career starts. She is 4-for-6 on Monmouth's turf course and 5-for-12 at a mile and a sixteenth.

If the weather has an impact on the race, Breen said it won't affect his mare.

“She ran well on a soft, yielding turf course and if he comes off she has run well in the mud,” Breen said. “She can do it all.”

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Jack And Noah Gives Casse First Win Of Saratoga Meet In Wednesday’s Mahony Stakes

Gary Barber's Jack and Noah broke alertly and never looked back, wiring an eight-horse field by drawing away to a 3 1/4-length victory in Wednesday's $85,000 Mahony for sophomores at Saratoga Race Course.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse entered the second running of the Mahony winless during the summer meet but tallied nine runner-up finishes. Jack and Noah finally eliminated the goose-egg for his conditioner, rocketing to the front under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez from the outermost post and building a six-length lead on the field with the opening quarter-mile in 21.50 seconds on the Mellon turf course labeled firm.

Jack and Noah registered the half-mile in 43.55 and built a 7 ½ length-edge at the three-eighths mark. In the stretch, Competitive Saint made up some ground, but the pacesetter was never seriously challenged, completing 5 ½ furlongs in a final time of 1:01.28.

Jack and Noah won for the second time in his three starts, building on a one-length score in the six-furlong Sir Cat in June at Belmont Park. The gray son of Bated Breath set the pace last out before tiring and finishing fifth in the Grade 3 Quick Call on July 24 at Saratoga. A month later, the French bred responded to a return engagement on the track by winning for the fourth time in eight starts overall.

“He was out of there right from the start,” Velazquez said. “Last time, the track was a little bit soft, so it took him a couple of strides to get out of the gate. Today, the track had a little more grip to it, so he got a nice grip coming out of there. All the way around the turn, I knew he was going well. I was just hoping that down the stretch things would go our way, and they did. I was proud of the horse's effort.”

Casse earned his first victory with his 32nd starter of the meet, with the 5-1 selection returning $12 on a $2 win bet. Jack and Noah improved his career earnings to $216,300.

“We didn't tell Johnny too much. He's been here before and has a game plan going in,” Casse assistant Jamie Begg said. “Last time, he missed the break, but the turf was also a little soft, so when he needed to run last time, he struggled a bit through the softer turf. The turf has been a lot better recently, so we were confident going in and as soon we saw Johnny break on top like that, I knew we were away to the races.”

Earlier in the meet, Casse came close in graded stakes company, finishing second with Got Stormy in Saturday's Grade 1 Fourstardave, Tap It to Win in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens on Whitney Day, August 1, and with Make Mischief in the Grade 2 Adirondack on August 12.

“It's one of those things where if we had a few wins, we'd be having a decent enough meet,” Begg said. “We've been pretty consistent with the graded horses hitting the board. We just needed to get one and having it be in a stake with a horse coming back is pretty good.”

Competitive Saint, making his stakes debut after starting his career 2-for-2 for trainer George Weaver, finished 1 ½-lengths in front of Buy Land and See for second.

Island Commish, Flap Jack, 9-5 favorite Maven, Old Chestnut and Power Up Paynter completed the order of finish. Cajun Casanova and Turned Aside scratched, as did main-track only entrant Sky of Hook.

Live racing resumes Thursday at Saratoga with a nine-race card that features the $85,000 Smart N Fancy older fillies and mares going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf in Race 7 at 4:41 p.m. First post is 1:10 p.m.

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