Third Graded-Stakes Win in Last Four Starts for 4-Year-Old Colt
LAUREL, MD – Lea Farms’ Super Chow, who had a two-race win streak snapped in his prior start, resumed his winning ways Saturday with a front-running 1 ¾-length score in the $100,000 Maryland Sprint (G3) at historic Pimlico Race Course.
The 37th running of the six-furlong Sprint for 3-year-olds and up was the fourth of nine stakes, five graded, worth $3.3 million in purses on a blockbuster 14-race program headlined by the 149th Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.
Hall of Famer Javier Castellano guided Super Chow ($10.40) to his seventh career stakes victory and third against graded company following the Toboggan (G3) and Tom Fool (G3) over the winter at Aqueduct, where he most recently ran third in the April 6 Carter (G2).
The winning time was 1:11.19 over a main track rated good.
Super Chow broke alertly and set solid fractions of 23.23 seconds for the first quarter-mile and 45.49 for the half, pursued by fellow graded winner Prevalence and 2022 Maryland Sprint winner Jaxon Traveler on the outside. Castellano and Super Chow straightened for home in command and were never threatened through the lane, with Prevalence holding second and multiple stakes winner Prince of Jericho rallying up the rail for third.
Coastal Mission, Jaxon Traveler and Bourbon Bash completed the order of finish. Little Roo Roo was scratched.
It was the first Maryland Sprint win for both Castellano and trainer Jorge Delgado, who earned his first career graded victory with Lightening Larry in the 2022 Chick Lang (G3) at Pimlico. Super Chow won an optional claiming allowance that fall at Pimlico, and ran fifth in last year’s Chick Lang.
MARYLAND SPRINT STAKES (G3) QUOTES
Winning Trainer Jorge Delgado (Super Chow): Not present at Pimlico Saturday.
Winning Jockey Javier Castellano (Super Chow): “He was able to dictate the pace. The first quarter, you can see, he’s a fast horse. He can go 21 and he went in 23-and-change. That was the key to winning the race.”
(On horse’s tendency to drift out). “I’ve been riding for so many years, been dealing so many years with the horses. I don’t know. I get the body language with the horse, the spirit. Those types of horses, you can grab too much. You have to have a lot of finesse with your hands. I think that’s the key to correcting the horse.”
“Very nice horse. I’ve been watching him at Aqueduct the last few races, the Tom Fool. I like the way he comes out of the race, very quick out of the gate…. It worked out great today. I was in the right place at the right time and being open in the race. I didn’t have any commitment. I received the phone call (Friday) to offer the mount, and I said, ‘I’m in! I’m open. Looking forward to riding the horse.’ It worked out perfect.”
Trainer Brendan Walsh (Prevalence, 2nd): “He (jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.) thought the post position got him a little bit there. He said if he was outside that horse (Super Chow) he might have been able to pressure him a little bit more. But he ran a good race. We’re very happy with him. That winner is a good horse. He’s won a couple of very nice races. So, no shame in running second to him. He won the Commonwealth on slop at Keeneland, so I can’t really blame that. I think he ran his race.”
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Prevalence, 2nd): “I had a beautiful trip. I was right there, inside, so I tried to save some ground. The horse did everything right. He was just second best today. I tried to go, but (Super Chow) had a better post (3) than me and he cleared me. After that, I just followed him. My horse showed up, he is a fighter.”
Trainer Britanny Russell (Prince of Jericho, 3rd): “I thought he ran good. They were all going to try and go. Everybody had the same idea. Super Chow was the quickest off the blocks. I think it was a very credible race. Two good horses in front of him. I’m not disappointed. Of course, you want the race, but he showed up.”
Jockey Sheldon Russell (Prince of Jericho, 3rd): “The option was we had to rate off the other horses a little bit who were a bit faster than him today. We were probably a little further back than we wanted him to be. But he really grinded and we are over the moon with his effort today. We saved ground all the way around, that was the option, just because we knew what Super Chow (winner) has done in the past. The track is very fast. I felt like he made up enough ground where there is no bias. I think the track played very fair. I just think the best horse won.”