There were mixed stakes results for Midlantic-breds yesterday. Two of them came in fifth at Churchill, while a third got the money at Santa Anita.
At Churchill Downs, Maryland-bred Havelock finished fifth in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint. Sluggish early, he came out in the lane and passed a few, ultimately finishing fifth. He continued his odd streak of never having finished second in 28 starts. Overall, he has a record of 28-9-0-3 and earnings of $624,625.
Also at Churchill, Virginia-bred Thank You Marylou gave a decent accounting of herself, running fifith in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. Up close early, she was unable to stay with ultra-impressive winner Untapable and was beaten 12 lengths. Still, it was not a bad effort for a horse who made her debut in a Virginia-bred stake at Colonial Downs last July.
In somewhat less glamorous company, Pennsylvania-bred On the Backstreets tackled ungraded foes in the Ultrafleet Stakes for three year-old fillies on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita. Sent off at 2-5, she cruised home to a two-length victory. The daughter of Street Boss has now won four of eight starts with earnings of $171,294…
Speaking of winning, one horse who frequently does just that is Handsup Moneydown. The five year-old gelding by Sharp Humor posted his sixth win of 2014 yesterday, taking a starter allowance by 3/4 of a length at Parx Racing. He’s won seven of eight overall and has a career record of 22-8-8-3 with earnings of $198,285 for trainer/owner Ramon Preciado. He’s also tied for the national lead with six wins this year; his co-leader, Singing My Way, is 1-5 in a starter allowance at Pimlico tomorrow.
As for today, there are four Midlantic-breds in Churchill stakes today, though none in the Derby. For profiles of all four, check it out here.
Also, the Jackpot Pick 5 carryover at Pimlico has grown to more than $84,000 entering today’s action.
