Two more days of racing yielded several more impressive victories by promising two-year-olds, with Insolvent, Weekend Hideaway, and Read the Proposal leading the charge.
August 10th
Race 2: Maiden Special Weight
5-1/2 furlongs for New York-bred 2yo fillies
Effie Trinket, with Alan Garcia aboard, was favored for trainer Richard Violette Jr., and while her final time wasn't stellar, she was nevertheless able to trounce her rivals in convincing fashion. After an alert start, the daughter of Freud showed good speed to challenge for the lead through fractions of :22.40 and :46.68. She then reeled in front-running Carla Sweetrevenge and pulled away inside the final eighth of a mile to win by 4 3/4 lengths while stopping the clock in 1:06.21. Carla Sweetrevenge held on to second over True Fortune, who rallied from fifth to finish third while never threatening the winner.
Race 5: Maiden Special Weight
5-1/2 furlongs for 2yo fillies (Originally scheduled for 5-1/2 furlongs on the turf)
A total of six horses scratched from this race, but a full field of eight still went to post. The impressive winner was Insolvent, who burst out of the gate for jockey Javier Castellano and rattled off fractions of :21.91 and :45.90 in the sloppy/sealed conditions while leading by 6 1/2 lengths. The daughter of Big Brown tired noticeably inside the final furlong, but still had enough left in the tank to win by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:05.83 seconds. Elusive Fate put in a strong run to secure second in a three-way photo over Girl Code and Miss Mischief, but her effort may have been slightly exaggerated due to the effects of the winner tiring badly. Girl Code and Miss Mischief also put in strong late runs.
Race 7: Maiden Special Weight
5 furlongs for New York-bred 2yos
Trainer Phillip Serpe has never won more than a hundred races in a year, and his stable's earnings have not gone over the million-dollar mark since 2005, but after sending out Weekend Hideaway to an impressive victory in this race, one must wonder if this colt could single-handedly change all that. With Jose Lezcano aboard, Weekend Hideaway showed speed from the outset and rattled off quick fractions of :21.96 and :45.57 before coasting to a dominating 6 3/4-length victory in the good time of :57.97, which was especially good given the sloppy/sealed condition of the track. I have a feeling that this colt is something very special, and I am looking forward to his next start. Shot Rock and Smooth Bert both rallied well from off-the-pace to finish in a photo finish for second, a photo which went to Shot Rock, but neither threatened the winner at any time. Tweet Me tracked Weekend Hideaway through the early stages of the race before giving way late.
August 11th
Race 2: Maiden Special Weight
7 furlongs for 2yos (Originally scheduled for 1 1/16th miles on the turf)
Transparent was the odds-on favorite for owner Darley Stable and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, but after flashing early speed, the colt stopped badly and was eased to the finish by jockey John Velazquez. In the meantime, Bernie the Jet went straight to the lead under Ramon Dominguez, set fractions of :23.05 and :46.69, and held on late to win by a half-length in 1:25.28 over the sloppy/sealed track. Indy's Illusion made a pair of runs from off the pace to challenge Bernie the Jet for the lead, first drawing to within a half-length of the leader at the half-mile pole, then dropping back to trail him by three lengths past the eighth pole, before finally putting in another run to fall just a half-length short at the finish. Chuckle raced in third for much of the race, moved up to second in the homestretch, and then was out-kicked for that position by Indy's Illusion to wind up finishing third, beaten just three-quarters of a length for everything.
Race 4: Maiden Special Weight
7 furlongs for New York-bred 2yos (Originally scheduled for 1 1/16th miles on the turf)
Richard Violette Jr.'s first-timer starter Read the Proposal was the favorite at 1.60-1, but the son of Read the Footnotes ran like a 1-5 shot en route to a dominating 8 1/2 length triumph over six rivals. With Alan Garcia aboard, the colt went straight to the lead and set slow fractions of :23.46 and :47.26 before blowing the doors off his rivals in the homestretch. The result was never in doubt from the time the field entered the homestretch, and the final time of 1:25.35 compares favorably with the 1:25.28 recorded by Bernie the Jet earlier on the card, especially when one considers how much slower the pace was in Read the Proposal's race. Song of Aspen rallied from last to finish a clear second, and given his strong staying pedigree, he should be one to watch as the distances get longer. Sunlover was in third place at every call and wound up in that spot at the finish.
Race 6: Maiden Special Weight
6 furlongs for 2yos
All seven of the entrants were first-time starters, with the Darley Stable/Kiaran McLaughlin colt Rugged the favorite at 1.75-1. But like his stablemate Transparent earlier on the card, Rugged stopped badly after flashing speed and finished last. In the meantime, trainer Eddie Kenneally's colt Majestic Hussar took over the lead shortly after the opening quarter mile before coasting away to a dominating 6 1/4-length triumph in 1:11.30 seconds. Casino Day closed well from off-the-pace to finish second, but was never a threat to the winner. Ithastobegeorge tracked the pace in second before tiring to finish a distant third.
-Keelerman
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