My Point Exactly, Naval Command star on
Super Derby undercard
Louisiana Downs‘ Super Derby undercard on Saturday featured six stakes,
including a pair of turf juvenile events that serve as preps for the
Breeders’
Cup Juvenile Turf and Juvenile Fillies Turf.
In the $75,000
Sunday Silence, My Point Exactly made his stakes debut a winning one,
rallying wide in the stretch to get up by a neck. Juan Leyva was up on the Bill
Kaplan-trained gelding, who is campaigned by Pinnacle Racing Stable LLC, Jack
Hendricks and Roger Justice.
Favored at 7-5 following a 10-length maiden win on the main
track at Gulfstream Park, the Florida-bred son of freshman sire Concorde Point
paid $5.40 after completing a mile in 1:38 2/5 on the firm turf.
My Point Exactly was making his second turf attempt,
recording an unplaced finish when making his career debut on June 27, and the
two-year-old has now earned $72,220 from a 4-2-0-0 record.
He stalked the pace early, racing within a few lengths of
the lead through splits of :23 2/5 and :49 1/5, and didn’t find his best stride
until straightening into the stretch, rallying late to get up in the final
strides.
Sylvan Hills Boy, a 39-1 outside, just missed the upset,
finishing a half-length better than third-placer Ride n’ Reel. I’ll Be Fine,
Task Force Glory, Shannon’s Boy, Haney and Serious Fun came next under the wire.
Bred by Quarter Pole Enterprises, My Point Exactly is out
of the stakes-placed Coronado’s Quest mare My Golden Quest and counts multiple
stakes winner Golden Par as his second maternal dam. He was purchased for
$65,000 earlier this year at the
OBS April sale.
Naval Command proved best for the same connections (owner,
trainer and jockey) in the filly counterpart, the $75,000
Happy Ticket, scoring by
a hard-fought neck in her turf debut. The Florida-bred daughter of freshman sire
Midshipman stopped the teletimer in 1:37 1/5, more than a second faster than her
stablemate.
Favored at 2-1 among 11 rivals, she returned a $6.40 win
mutual
The chestnut lass was forwardly placed from the start,
tracking splits of :22 3/5 and :47 3/5 in second. She vied for the lead rounding
the far turn and took a short lead in midstretch before gamely rebuffing the
rally of La Rambla, who finished a clear second as the 4-1 third choice.
Know It All Anna finished another three lengths back in
third and was followed by Pharme’s Pholley, Fab Fox, Donna’s Royal Slot, Zelda
Can Dance, You Should Be Here, Wine Spotioti, Private Promie and Five Hearts.
LLLuvthatmustang, Four of a Kind and Cajun Infinity were scratched.
Naval Command, who had raced exclusively at Gulfstream Park
beforehand, won her career bow on June 21 and finished second when making her
stakes debut in the July 12 Cassidy. She was exiting a 9 1/2-length romp over
entry-level allowance foes on August 14 and improved her scorecard to 4-3-1-0,
$109,250.
Bred by Woodford Thoroughbreds, Naval Command is out of the
winning Fusaichi Pegasus mare Lucky Flyer. Multiple Grade 1 winner Lucky Lucky
Lucky is her fourth maternal dam.
Oak Leaf T.C. LP’s Benwill finished second in the $75,000
Unbridled, a 1 1/16-mile turf affair for three-year-olds and up, but wound up
being placed first by the stewards as Coalport was disqualified for interference
in the stretch.
Coalport and Benwill were both forwardly-placed, racing
second and third through splits of :23 3/5 and :47 4/5, during the early stages.
Coalport took a short lead in upper stretch with Rosie Napravnik, but drifted
out into his rival dramatically before finishing a length best. The final time
was 1:40 3/5.
Benwill wound getting the win at 13-1, paying $29, and
Coalport was placed second. Pacesetter Well’s Gold weakened to be 2 1/2 lengths
back of Benwill in third, and String King, Red Strike, Holiday Mischief,
Restless Gerald and Indycott completed the order of finish.
Trained by Mike Burgess, Donnie Meche was up on Benwill, a
Louisiana-bred son of Leestown. The five-year-old horse posted his second stakes
win, capturing the open John Henry at
Evangeline Downs in April, and he’s placed
in four stakes. The dark bay was exiting a fifth in the restricted Louisiana Cup
Turf Classic on August 2.
With the $45,000 payday, Benwill bumped his earnings to
$227,303 from a 21-6-2-3 scorecard.
There was no controversy in the $75,000
River Cities as
Sassy Kitten dominated on the front end, rolling to a 3 3/4-length decision with Napravnik. The four-year-old daughter of Kitten’s Joy was favored at even money
among 10 fillies and mares, returning $4.20 to win.
A Ken and Sarah Ramsey homebred, Sassy Kitten posted splits
in :23 3/5 and :49 2/5 on a short lead and opened up a sizable margin entering
the stretch, cruising to the wire. The Mike Maker trainee completed the 1
1/6-mile turf affair in 1:42 1/5.
Malibu Yankee wound up a clear second. Next came Anahauc,
Miss Addison, Hot Tempo, Defiant Red, Silent Lust, Dreamglider, Synapse and
Queenie Vic. Esther Carl and Blesses Immaculate were withdrawn.
Sassy Kitten was exiting an easy win in the off-the-turf
West Virginia President’s Cup on August 2 and finished a neck second when making
her first stakes attempt in the grassy Firecracker two starts previously. The
improving Kentucky-bred now sports a 9-5-1-1, $229,790 career mark.
Mr. L.S. Shoe rolled to a 1 3/4-length win in the $90,000
Louisiana Stallion for state-bred two-year-olds, and Kylie’s Cutie dominated on
the front end in the $90,000
Louisiana Stallion for fillies, winning by 6
3/4
lengths.
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