Hey Leroy catches Mr. Online in Appleton

Former claimer Hey Leroy (left) posted an upset in his stakes debut for the same connections as Social Inclusion (Lauren King/Adam Coglianese Photography) Rontos Racing Stable has been in the headlines of late with unbeaten Kentucky Derby hopeful Social Inclusion, but appears to have an improving older turf horse in Hey Leroy. Making his stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Appleton Stakes at Gulfstream Park, the former claimer rallied from last to deny pacesetting Mr. Online by a neck. Like budding superstar Social Inclusion, Hey Leroy is trained by Manny Azpurua. He was claimed for $20,000 from Ken and Sarah Ramsey at Saratoga last July, and has climbed the class ladder since switching to turf for his new connections. Overlooked at 11-1 off an entry-level allowance score over this course on March 15, where he was not entered for the tag, Hey Leroy raced well off early fractions of :23 4/5, :46 3/5 and 1:09 on the firm course. Mr. Online, who took over before the half-mile mark, opened up a 2 1/2-length lead in midstretch.  But Hey Leroy kicked into overdrive for Alex Solis, getting up in time to finish the grassy mile in 1:32 2/5 and rewarding his loyalists with a $25.60 win payout.  “Going into the stretch,” Azpurua said, “I told the rider, ‘Don’t give him too much,’ and he did a nice ride because he took care of the horse, and the horse finished strong like he always does. He’s going to be a nice horse, and he showed so far that he can make it.”

“I saw a lot of guys sending to the lead,” Solis said, “so I just took a hold
and took back, dropped down to the rail and saved some ground. When I got to the
backside, I started getting a forward position and got him going at the
three-eighths pole.

“At the quarter-pole I thought, ‘I have a good chance here.’ He was giving
his heart and down the stretch he gave even more. At the eighth-pole I thought I
would get there because he was really running and the other horse was stopping.
It was nice. (Azpurua) just said don’t send him, take a hold and keep him
relaxed. So that’s what I did.”

Salto, the 5-2 favorite, settled for third. Next came Tetradrachm, Grand
Tito, Midnight Cello, Fredericksburg, Kharafa and Five Iron. Cozzetti was
scratched, along with the main-track-only pair of Csaba and Catron. Csaba
instead ran one race later in the Grade 3 Skip Away and failed to hit the board.

Hey Leroy was bred by Spruce Lane Farm in Kentucky and sold for a mere $2,000
as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling. The Ramseys claimed him out of a
four-length score in a $20,000 maiden claimer on the Churchill Downs dirt last
June, but he made only two starts for Mike Maker before being haltered by his
current connections. His scorecard now reads 22-5-5-3, $174,991.

Following his Appleton victory, the Venezuelan flag was waved as the
connections acknowledged the ongoing struggles in their home country.

“We’re going to take it easy on him now and wait for the right spot for him,”
Azpurua said.

The four-year-old gelding is by Any Given Saturday and out of the winning
Gulch mare Galashey. His dam is a half-sister to stakes winner Salinja, a
Mountaineer track record-setter who also equaled a course record at Monmouth on
turf. Galashey is also a three-quarter sister to stakes-placed Kisbey, dam of
stakes victress and Meadowlands track record-setter Thoroughly Holy. Further
back, this is the family of Grade 1 stars Sardula, Imperial Gesture and Divine
Park.

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