Divine Interventio Streaks to Allowance Win on Thanksgiving Card
Divine Interventio Streaks to Allowance Win on Thanksgiving Card
Sky Magician Breaks Maiden in Finale, Nyquist Half-Brother Fourth in Debut
Late Pick 5 Carryover of $15,180 for Guys Day Out Friday
LAUREL, MD – Standing Rock Farm’s Divine Interventio surged past multiple stakes-winning front-runner Greatbullsoffire in mid-stretch and held off a surging Cordmaker on the rail for a head victory in the featured ninth race on Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day program at Laurel Park.
Ridden by Johan Rosado for trainer Lacey Gaudet, Divine Interventio ($6.80) was a narrow 2-1 favorite over eight rivals in the $45,000 second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up.
The winning time was 1:23.30 for seven furlongs over a fast main track. Cordmaker was second with Greatbullsoffire third, while Saratoga Bob, winner of the Maryland Million Classic in his previous start, checked in fifth.
It was the second win from four starts since Gaudet claimed Divine Interventio, a gelded 5-year-old son of Malibu Moon, for $16,000 in August at Saratoga. Gaudet’s mother and assistant, Linda, saddled the horse with Lacey attending a wedding in New Zealand.
“We’re very pleased. He’s a nice horse,” Linda Gaudet said. “He’s been a bit of a project. He came to us in good form but mean as a hornet. He’s a tough one to handle but I’ve got a great groom on his head and Johan rode him perfectly today. I told him to leave him alone the first part of it and let him run the last part of it, and he ran them down. I’m glad I got to win one while Lacey was away.”
R. Larry Johnson’s Maryland homebred Sky Magician ($6) took the lead at the top of the stretch and spurted away from the field to capture the 10th race finale, a $40,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds, in 1:11 for six furlongs. It was the fifth career start for Sky Magician, runner-up in the Maryland Million Lassie Oct. 20. Still Dreaming, a half-brother to 2016 Florida Derby (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist, was fifth in his debut.
Late Pick 5 Carryover of $15,180 for Guys Day Out Friday
There will be a double carryover of $15,180.16 in the 50-cent Late Pick 5 for Friday’s nine-race Guys Day Out program.
Tickets with four of five winners Thursday were worth $95.55. Friday’s Pick 5 spans Races 5-9 and includes two legs (Races 8-9) of the weekly national $1 Stronach 5 wager, which carries a $50,000 guaranteed pool.
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved Thursday and will have a jackpot carryover of $2,589.24 Friday (Races 4-9). Tickets with five of six winners returned $800.78.
Guys Day Out features $2 hot dogs and $2 select beers, along with Preakness (G1) ticket and other giveaways. First race post time is 12:30 p.m.
Notes: Jockeys Jevian Toledo and Horacio Karamanos each had a pair of winners Thursday. Toledo scored aboard Eight Six Mets ($2.80) in the first race and Isolated ($6.40) in the fifth, while Karamanos was first with Drive at Nite ($19.20) in the sixth and Sky Magician ($6) in the 10th. Jockey Rosario Montanez escaped injury in the fifth after being unseated by his mount, Adversary, on the far turn. He took off his lone remaining mount as a precaution.
