In the Presidents’ Day Handicap at Charles Town, favored Hymn Note took the lead entering the backstretch of the two-turn, 6 1/2 furlong race, held off a bid from Heart of Rome, and had plenty in the tank to win by a length and change over late-arriving Saturday Surprise. Heart of Rome was third. It was Hymn Note’s first win in four tries at Charles Town; in her prior tries, she’d won but been disqualified, lost by a nose, and run third, that last in the Pink Ribbon. It was Hymn Note’s first win for trainer Tim Kreiser, who claimed her back in June for $25,000, and first under jockey Dale Whittaker. Because of the equine herpesvirus quarantine at Parx (here), the favored entry of Pink Ribbon winner Wardelle and Here’s Zealicious were scratched…
Dale Whittaker completed the late double one race later, when he piloted Lil Sunny Delight (2-5) to a win in a claiming event. The chalk-chalk double paid $10.40. Seven-pound apprentice Williams Naupac also won two on the evening…
Tough night for 10-pound bug rider Ariel Diaz. Aboard Riviera Dancer in last night’s first, he broke sharply to the lead in the 4 1/2 furlong race and never looked back en route to a one-length win. It would have been the first win of his career at Charles Town and his fifth overall (from 148 starts). However, he was disqualified and placed fifth for coming in at the break and squeezing back Lofty Manor. That left Dylan First the winner under Gustavo Larrosa…
Parx Racing managed to get in a full card of racing on Monday but managed just two races before abandoning the card yesterday. Those two were contested on a sealed track that changed from muddy to sloppy between the first and second races…
The Maryland Jockey Club announced its Pimlico stakes schedule yesterday (here). Among the highlights are the Preakness purse increase to $1.5 million, the purse increase for (and shortening of) the Grade 2 Dixie, and that the Grade 3 Allaire duPont Distaff will get the year off…
