Quantum Miss romps in Wonders Delight; Fabulous Strike
finishes fifth
by Jennifer Caldwell
Quantum Miss was expected to win Friday evening’s $77,063
Wonders Delight at Penn National, and the Tony Dutrow pupil didn’t
disappoint as the 1-10 favorite.
The Daniel M. Ryan homebred colorbearer grabbed command as soon as the gates
opened, increased her margin at every pole while running three wide and
eventually finished 12 lengths clear of her nearest pursuer with Jeremy Rose
keeping a snug hold the entire way. The gray Pennsylvania-bred sped six furlongs
on the fast, sealed surface in 1:08 3/5, setting a new track record while
earning her fourth stakes victory.
The three-year-old daughter of Smoke Glacken triumphed in the Blue Mountain
by 16 lengths over the track last year, then branched out to make her seasonal
bow at Gulfstream Park. Quantum Miss ran fifth in the Grade 3 Old Hat at the
Florida track, and Dutrow shipped her back north to try the Grade 3 Cicada at
Aqueduct two months later. This time the filly was victorious, taking that
six-furlong test by a half-length, before returning to Pennsylvania to add Parx
Racing’s Trevose to her resume prior to Friday night’s contest.
Quantum Miss has racked up $239,450 in lifetime earnings to go along with her
6-4-0-1 career mark.
A similar performance was expected from Grade 1 winner Fabulous Strike one
race later in the $75,000
Changing Times, but the eight-year-old gelding could do no better than fifth
on the line of the six-furlong affair. Instead, Lucky Star Racing Inc.’s Peppi
Knows posted a three-quarter length score with Frankie Pennington in the saddle.
The four-year-old ducked out leaving the gate but quickly settled into
position while running outside, and went wide around the turn. The Tim Kreiser
charge took the lead just past midstretch to stop the clock in 1:10 on the fast,
sealed dirt.
Fabulous Strike, meanwhile, broke a step slow after acting up in the gate.
The Todd Beattie veteran never appeared comfortable in the race, running with
his ears pinned and head turned to the side, and didn’t stride out in the lane.
He faded to fifth as the 1-2 favorite.
Peppi Knows, a son of Stephen Got Even, earned his third stakes win in this
spot, adding it to scores in the 2009 Finger Lakes Juvenile and 2010 Whirlaway.
The bay gelding has also placed in three other black-type events, including the
2009 Grade 2 Remsen, and improved his line to 16-7-3-1 having now banked
$290,030 lifetime.
Sylmar Farm’s Moonlite Grinder, fifth in the Federico Tesio just 20 days ago,
returned Friday night to take the $75,000
Danzig
by 1 3/4 lengths to start the stakes action at Penn National.
With Angel Rodriguez aboard, the Grindstone gelding rated while saving ground
on the rail, put in his move entering the stretch and pulled off to finish six
furlongs on the fast dirt in 1:09 4/5. Following in second was Trade Secret, who
completed the exacta for trainer Thomas Houghton when holding Der Meister to
third by a neck.
Moonlite Grinder was making just his second stakes attempt in this spot and
now boasts a 7-5-0-1, $151,936, career record.