October 8 racing highlights: Justoneofakind rolls in allowance
In the Fairway won the Frank Gall Memorial Stakes at Charles Town on Saturday. Photo by Coady Photography.
From Staff Reports
YESTERDAY’S NEWS: Justoneofakind rolls in Laurel allowance
New York shipper Justoneofakind, 19 months removed from her maiden victory, made a successful return to Laurel Park with a three-length triumph in Friday’s featured eighth race.
Trained by Linda Rice for owner Peter Demos, the 5-year-old More Than Ready mare wrested the lead from She Rolls in mid-stretch while racing five wide and pulled clear to capture the $42,000 entry-level allowance for females 3 and up.
Justoneofakind ($13.40) had not won since her maiden triumph last March at Laurel. Winning time was 1:11.73 for six furlongs on a fast main track.
Jockey Horacio Karamanos settled Justoneofakind as Majestic Holiday, She Rolls and Have Hope duked it out through a quarter-mile in 22.84 seconds and a half in 46.51. Karamanos switched to the outside for a stretch run where they reeled in She Rolls and Have Hope and had plenty left to turn back late-running If I Was a Boy.
“I watched many races for this filly. When she broke her maiden here at Laurel she came from behind and made one move and passed them easily. If you ask her too early, she hangs at the end so that’s why I waited,” Karamanos said.
“I had three horses in front of me and I know they’re going to stop and the other horses are outside,” he added. “When they moved at the top of the stretch I just swung her outside and tap her on the shoulder and she gave me a nice kick at the end. I love this filly. When I saw the overnight I said, ‘I got it.’”
Four days shy of one year since his last victory, Good Feng Shui dismissed stubborn stalker Not a Chance in the stretch and held off a furious late bid from Made Bail for a front-running win in Friday’s co-featured seventh race.
Owned and trained by Robert Abrams, the 8-year-old gelding drew into the race as an also-eligible and went straight to the lead from the outside post under Angel Castillo in the second-level optional claiming allowance. Not a Chance stuck close through fractions of 23.34, 46.33 and 57.93 seconds before Good Feng Shui was able to get separation, and got to the wire as Made Bail came flying from far back.
Good Feng Shui ($10.80) ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:04.06 on a Fort Marcy Turf Course listed as good in winning for the 16th time from 56 career starts, swelling his bankroll to $464,927. Easy River rallied to get third over Not a Chance, with 2-1 favorite Joseph checking in fifth.
[su_divider top=”no” style=”double” divider_color=”#0b0c0c” size=”1″]BY THE NUMBERS: Handle
- Laurel Park: $2,419,329
- Penn National: $795,308
- Charles Town: $1,318,943
- The Meadowlands: $1,349,171
TODAY’S ACTION
- Tracks in action: Parx Racing, Laurel Park, Delaware Park, Charles Town, Penn National, The Meadowlands
- Full fields abound in five races on the Laurel Park turf course today. For full-card handicapping and analysis, check out The GQ Approach.
- This evening is the biggest day of state-bred racing at Charles Town Races: the 30th edition of the West Virginia Breeders Classics. The card features nine stakes for West Virginia-breds, topped by the $500,000 West Virginia Breeders Classic. For more:
