When the gates opened in the Confucius Say Stakes, longshot Espresso gained command soon after the outset with Boss E Boogs just outside of him, while Social Chic was away well in third. Muad’dib bided his time from well off the pace, as did No Change who was squeezed back at the start and would later encounter more trouble.

Espresso led the way through pedestrian fractions of 24.49 and 48.88 for the first two calls. He shook off Boss E Boogs and waited for the late bids from Social Chic, Muad’dib and No Change. While Social Chic went inside rivals and Muad’dib swept outside his foes, No Change lacked racing room while attempting to split foes on the far turn, appeared to clip heels and stumble, and jockey Marshall Mendez was unseated midway on the far turn but avoided being clipped by any trailing horses.

No Change finished the race unscathed without him and, though suffering a few cuts, was generally unharmed. Mendez walked off under his own power and sustained a foot bruise.

Espresso owned a one-length lead at the top of the lane, with Muad’dib, outside, and Social Chic, along the rail, attempting to rally past him. Muad’dib closed down the center of the track but never seriously threatened as Espresso and Social Chic settled the outcome in the final furlong. Espresso veered in slightly in deep stretch, putting Social Chic in tight, and held sway late for a narrow tally.

Jockey Angel Cruz, aboard Social Chic, lodged an objection against Espresso for the tight quarters he endured in the lane. But the stewards dismissed the objection and took no action.

A four-year-old Juba gelding trained by Keith Brown for owner-breeder Gary Hemp, Espresso recorded his second straight tally, third win in four seasonal tries and now owns four wins and over $109,000 banked from 10 career outings after getting the seven furlongs in 1:26.99. Runco trainees Social Chic and Muad’dib finished second and third, respectively.

“There wasn’t much speed in the race, so I just let my horse get to the front early,” jockey Victor Rodriguez said of Espresso. “No one came after me. I was pretty clear of the other horses down the backside, so I didn’t see anyone go down.”

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“That was a really tough field of older horses, so I wasn’t sure how well he would do in there,” Hemp said. “But when I looked up and saw those slow fractions I thought he would be able to hang on for a piece. He had the lead turning for home, so he really didn’t have to let [Social Chic] by him in the lane. He dug in. I was hoping they would leave him up.”

Espresso paid an eye-popping $53.40 to win and topped an exacta that returned $97.00 for a one-dollar wager. Five of the eight winners on the card paid $14.80 or more to win.

One race earlier on the card, Dorado (Wesley Ho) forged a 6-1 upset in a two-turn allowance for state-breds when he rallied from well off the pace and widest of all to edge longshot Caffeinennicotine and spoil the two-turn debut of 2-5 favorite Pork Chop Pete, who weakened after pressing the early pace. A sophomore son of Golden Years owned, bred and trained by Javier Contreras, Dorado notched his first win in five seasonal tries and second win in eight lifetime starts by getting the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:20.88.

Two races prior to that, Late Nite Mistress (Wesley Ho) regained her winning ways when she lodged  a narrow victory over Sybarite in a one-turn allowance for fillies and mares. A sophomore daughter of Into Mischief out of the local, state-bred star Late Night Pow Wow, Late Nite Mistress notched her second score in seven races by getting the 4 1/2 furlongs in 53.51 as the 3-1 second choice for Contreras and owner-breeder Breeze Easy LLC, the same connections of Late Night Pow Wow.

“I was impressed with her tonight,” Contreras said. “I thought she might get caught by that other filly, but she really dug in. I still think she’ll be better going further, going two turns. We might even have to try her in one of the stakes. Why not?”

“She broke well and I was glad to sit just off the leaders,” Ho said. “She really kicked in for me on the turn. She was game the whole way. I think she might even be a little better going two turns here.”

The Confucius Say is named in honor of the O’Sullivan Farms homebred who earned over $1 million in his career and eventually garnered a spot in the inaugural West Virginia-bred Hall of Fame class.