Strike a Deal, Street Sounds showcase talent during Fall
Festival
Laurel Park’s De Francis Dash Day saw a new record of $5,518,830 wagered on
the 10-race card Saturday. The highlight of the day was THOR’S ECHO (Swiss
Yodeler) scoring a three-quarter of a length victory in the Frank J. De Francis
Memorial Dash (G1), but there was plenty of other stakes to keep the action
going.
While the De Francis Dash was the feature on the day, seven other stakes were
also included in the Fall Festival of Racing. Headlining the rest of the card
were two juvenile stakes, with STRIKE A DEAL (Smart Strike) taking the $100,000
Laurel Futurity by 1 1/4 lengths after a stalking run. With Ramon Dominguez
holding the reins, the Alan Goldberg trainee had to be patient and wait for some
room to open up nearing the three-eighths pole. Finally getting in the clear,
the Jayeff B Stables colorbearer rallied on the outside to get the victory after
running 1 1/16 miles on the yielding turf in 1:45 4/5.
Strike a Deal was making his second stakes start in the Futurity after
running second in the Pilgrim S. He broke his maiden by a length in his second
career start and now boasts a 4-2-1-0 career mark with $97,945 in lifetime
earnings.
Earlier on the card, Hidden Creek Farm’s STREET SOUNDS (Street Cry [Ire]) had
an easier time of it, stalking the pace in the $100,000
Selima S.
before moving to the outside leaving the turn and powering home a 3 3/4-length
winner. With Ramon Dominguez aboard, the Michael Matz charge stopped the clock
on the green in 1:46 1/5 to earn her first stakes score. The dark bay miss, last
seen finishing third in the Jessamine S. at Keeneland, captured her maiden by 6
3/4 lengths in her third try and now owns a 5-2-0-2 record with $103,400 in
earnings.
Three-year-old fillies got their turn in the spotlight in the $101,500
Anne
Arundel S., and it was LEAH’S SECRET (Tiger Ridge) who got her picture taken
in the winner’s circle. The Helen Pitts charge, running in the colors of
First Klass Stable, saved ground on the rail before angling out under
Mark Guidry to score by three parts of a length. Leah’s Secret ran a mile on the
fast dirt in 1:36 3/5 to push her record to 9-5-0-1, $342,252. She’s also won
the Raven Run S. (G2) and Lazer Show H. this year.
Two heads and two necks were all that separated the top five finishers in the
$76,500
Laurel Turf Cup S. and when the dust had settled, FISHY ADVICE (Woodman)
proved to be the head on the line first. Trained by David Donk and ridden by
Mario Pino, the four-year-old rallied from last early to take the nine-furlong
turf test in 1:51 3/5. Racing for owners C.K. Marquis, J.T. Behrendt, W. Bloom
and B. Cornell, the chestnut colt added a third stakes win to his line, which
now reads 15-6-3-2, $381,110.
ART FAN (Lear Fan) avenged her runner-up finish in last year’s
April Run
S. by taking this season’s $80,000 edition by a length under Jeremy Rose.
The Hamilton Smith-conditioned five-year-old, third in the All Along Breeders’
Cup S. (G3) and Gallorette H. (G3) so far this year, stopped the teletimer for
nine furlongs on the grass in 1:51 4/5. Bred and raced by William Backer, the
bay mare now owns a 27-7-4-5 career line with $379,349 in earnings.
In the other two stakes on the card, PLATA (Skip Away) was a neck victress in
the $75,000
Stefanita
S. while BUSY PROSPECT (Allen’s Prospect) posted an easy 4 1/4-length
front-running score in the $50,000
Maryland Million Starter H.