E. Paul Robsham Stables’ homebred Golden Lad (Medaglia d’Oro) drew off to a
convincing five-length victory in Saturday’s $200,000
Mountainview H. at Penn National, one of three lucrative stakes on the
$500,000 Penn Mile (G3) undercard. Favored at 9-5 versus 10 rivals, the Todd
Pletcher-trained horse was prominent from the start under Javier Castellano
before asserting his superiority in the stretch drive.
Winner of last year’s Razorback H. (G3) and the February 14 Essex H. two
starts previously, Golden Lad dueled with longshot Very Lucky (Istan) through
opening splits of :23, :47 and 1:11 2/5. The five-year-old sped away leaving the
far turn, reaching midstretch with a five-length advantage, and cruised to the
wire, finishing the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:49 4/5.
Kid Cruz (Lemon Drop Kid) rallied from last to be a non-threatening second,
three lengths better than late runner Nowalking (Hard Spun). Very Lucky held for
fourth.
Golden Lad has now bankrolled $466,220 from a 14-7-2-0 record.
Out of stakes winner Broadway Gold (Seeking the Gold), the Kentucky-bred
counts Grade 2 heroine Broadway’s Alibi (Vindication) and multiple stakes queen
R Gypsy Gold (Bernardini) as half-sisters. Broadway Gold is a half-sister to
Grade 1 winner Dialed In (Mineshaft) and Golden Lad counts champion Eliza (Mt.
Livermore) as his third maternal dam. This regal female family is littered with
stakes winners.
Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence’s Strict Compliance (Into Mischief)
closed with a rush to deny Quality Rocks (Rock Hard Ten) in the $150,000
Penn
Oaks, posting a half-length decision in her stakes debut. Javier Castellano
delivered the well-timed ride aboard the Chad Brown-trained filly.
Gypsy Judy (Kitalpha) tried to steal the race on the front end, sprinting to
a clear lead and establishing opening splits in :24 and :48 4/5. Quality Rocks
stalked in second, with Strict Compliance another length back in third as the
field made its way down the backstretch, and the pacesetter was still clinging
to a half-length advantage after six furlongs in 1:12 2/5.
Quality Rocks finally wore down the stubborn front-runner in deep stretch,
forging her way to a slight lead, but could not withstand the strong late kick
of Strict Compliance, who overcame a two-length deficit in the final furlong to
prove best.
Off as the 2-1 second choice among five sophomore fillies, the winner
completed a mile in 1:34 4/5 on the firm turf.
Bred in Florida by Richard and Linda Thompson, Strict Compliance went through
the sales ring three times, selling for $40,000 as a weanling and $75,000 as a
yearling before commanding $100,000 at last year’s OBS June two-year-old sale.
Out of the unraced Diva Dyna (Grand Slam), the bay filly is a half-sister to
stakes winner Tiree (Smoke Glacken) and is from the same immediate female family
of multiple Grade 1 winner General Quarters (Sky Mesa)
Strict Compliance finished a neck second when making her career debut in
October and came back to win her second start at Gulfstream Park in March. She
was exiting an entry-level allowance tally at Keeneland and has now earned
$160,100 from her 4-3-1-0 scorecard.
After finishing third to Ben’s Cat (Parker’s Storm Cat) in the May 15 Jim
McKay Turf Sprint at Pimlico, Silver Trail Stables’ Amelia’s Wild Ride (D’wildcat)
turned the tables on the legendary turf sprinter in the $150,000
Governor’s Cup, holding on to win by a nose. Jose Lezcano picked up the
mount for trainer Ramon Preciado and the four-year-old colt registered his
second stakes victory.
Amelia’s Wild Ride chased Bold Thunder (Bold N’ Flashy) in second through
wicked opening slits of :21 4/5 and :43 3/5 in the five-furlong turf affair and
didn’t collar the front-runner until deep stretch.
Ben’s Cat, the 6-5 favorite, rated in fourth, 3 1/2 lengths back with a
quarter-mile remaining and altered course in the stretch drive for clear
sailing. The nine-year-old gelding closed with a rush to just miss on the wire,
edging a game Bold Thunder by a neck for second.
Amelia’s Wild Ride returned a $10.80 win mutuel as the 4-1 third choice in
the seven-horse field.
A reformed claimer, the bay Florida-bred was haltered for a $40,000 tag early
in 2014, the first of 14 starts last season, and recorded his first stakes
victory when opening this year in the February 7 Gulfstream Turf Sprint.
With Saturday’s $85,200 payday, Amelia’s Wild Ride increased his earnings to
$319,840 from a 26-8-3-6 line.
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