September 28 racing highlights: Means Well aptly named
In the Fairway won the Frank Gall Memorial Stakes at Charles Town on Saturday. Photo by Coady Photography.
From Staff Reports
YESTERDAY’S NEWS: Means Well takes Delaware allowance
The drop out of stakes company was just what the doctor ordered for Means Well yesterday at Delaware Park.
The five-year-old Smart Strike mare had found the going a little rough in a pair of Grade 3 races at Monmouth Park and in the Smart and Fancy at Saratoga. But yesterday, dropped back into allowance company, Means Well came to life, posting a dominant, four-length victory over a yielding turf course.
With Jevian Toledo in the irons, Means Well — out of the Cat Thief mare Great Intentions — grabbed the lead early and was never really threatened. She stopped the timer in 1:31.15 for 7 1/2 furlongs. Means Well paid $5.00 to win as the 3-2 post time favorite. Divine Dawn was second, and it was a long way back — nine more lengths — to Elusive Joni in third. Defending Maryland Million Ladies champ Monster Sleeping was fifth.
Means Well, trained by Alan Goldberg for Colts Neck Stables LLC, has now won five of 20 career starts, with earnings of $208,880.
[su_divider top=”no” style=”double” divider_color=”#0b0c0c” size=”1″]BY THE NUMBERS: Handle
- Delaware Park: $1,754,686
- The Meadowlands: $938,196
- Charles Town: $731,844
- Penn National: $653,146
TODAY’S ACTION
- Tracks in action: Meadowlands, Penn National, Charles Town
- Two-year-old West Virginia-bred maiden fillies going 4 1/2 furlongs square off in the lid-lifter this evening at Charles Town. Crystal Pickett trainee Where’s My Money (5-2) is favored off a second place finish against maiden claimers at Timonium, and in her debut at CT, when fifth, she ran behind next-out stakes winner Unaquoi. Jose Montano — 27 percent at Charles Town — will ride. The race also has several runners making their debuts: Aloha Annie (10-1), a Limehouse filly trained by John Dillow; a pair of Ollie Figgins-trained runners in Charitable Heart (4-1), by Charitable Man, and another Limehouse filly, Back to Dixie (6-1); James Casey’s Classy Tizzy (9-2), by Tizway; Donald Shuler trainee My Sweet Charity (12-1), also by Charitable Man; and Respected (15-1), a Student Council filly trained by Ricardo Murillo.
- The Thursday feature at the Meadowlands is a $30,000 allowance/optional claimer going 5 furlongs on the turf (weather permitting). Shug McGaughey’s Virgo Rising (2-1) is favored on the cutback after five starts going longer. But others could have something to say about this one, including Thinking of Mom (3-1), with Paco Lopez up, who beat similar in her last start at Monmouth; Syrisong (7-2), who was second that day; and Glad Your Back (4-1), who impressed breaking her maiden last out back in June.
