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Weekend wrap: March 27

by | Mar 27, 2017 | Breaking, Racing, Regionwide, Top Stories

Long on Value

Long on Value at Colonial Downs, with Sheldon Russell up. Photo by Nick Hahn.

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Staff reports

Our weekend wrap: news and notes from the weekend’s mid-Atlantic racing action.

  • Midlantic-breds made good, pt. 1 Pennsylvania-bred Fast and Accurate prevailed in a 24-1 upset to win Saturday’s $500,000, Grade 3 Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park. The 50 points he earned on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard put him among the top five and all but guaranteed a spot for him in Louisville should his connections be so inclined. A son of Hansen, Fast and Accurate tracked a fast pace from third before grabbing the lead and holding off the closers under Tyler Gaffalione. Bred by John Penn and owned by Kendall Hansen, Fast and Accurate has now won three straight and three of six overall, a streak the Mike Maker trainee kicked off when he dropped into $30,000 maiden claiming company to earn his first win.
  • Midlantic-breds made good, pt. 2 Farther afield, Virginia-bred Long on Value traveled to Dubai to participate in the six-furlong, grassy Al Quoz Sprint on the Dubai World Cup undercard — and he came thisclose to the money. The son of Value Plus, bred by Snow Lantern Thoroughbreds and trained by Bill Mott, finished second by a nose in the $1 million test. “We’re speechless,” said Riley Mott, son of and assistant to Bill Mott. “To come over here, half-way across the world, and compete with the top sprinters on the globe, we are just absolutely thrilled. I know it’s a loss, but it feels like a win.”

  • Sign of spring The first turf race of 2017 is up as an extra for Saturday on Laurel Park’s Friday overnight. It’s a $7,500 claimer for three-year-olds and up going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf.
  • See more, indeed The talent’s there for four-year-old Seymourdini; turning it into success is the next step. Saturday, the four-year-old son of Bernardini dazzled at Laurel Park, winning a second-level allowance by a dozen (!) lengths in a blazing time of 1:34.94 for the one-turn mile — not far off the 37-year-old track record of 1:34.40 set by Skipper’s Friend. Horacio Karamanos was up for trainer Linda Rice, who has 12 wins from 25 starts to date this year in central Maryland.

  • Who doesn’t love previews? Wednesday’s Charles Town Races card features five allowance races, and some of those runners figure to show up on the track’s April 22 Charles Town Classic card. Those include last year’s WV Division of Tourism Breeders Classic winner Romantic Cork; Shackleford’s Lady, recently scratched from the Caesar’s Wish at Laurel Park; 2016 WV Triple Crown Nutrition Breeders Classic winner Scottish Denis; and others. Post time for the eight-race card is 7:00 p.m.
  • Bold Four-year-old True Boldness broke her maiden in fancy fashion Saturday evening at Penn National. The Pennsylvania-bred Louis Quatorze filly won by over nine lengths in a sharp 1:11.13 for six furlongs — the fastest six-furlong contest of the evening. Trained by Steve Krebs for owner-breeder Scott Fuchs, now has a win and a second from three starts after finishing second in her prior try, that against maiden claiming rivals.