Dixie Spirit Looks to Break Through in Competitive Friday Maiden; Totally Thoroughbred Benefit Horse Show Sunday at Pimlico
Dixie Spirit Looks to Break Through in Competitive Friday Maiden; Totally Thoroughbred Benefit Horse Show Sunday at Pimlico
G3 Winner Divining Rod Breezes Five Furlongs at Fair Hill
Friday’s 9-Race Twilight Program Draws 101 Entries
Multiple Carryovers for Friday, Crushing Day to Perform
Totally Thoroughbred Benefit Horse Show Sunday at Pimlico
LAUREL, MD – Narrowly beaten in a similar spot last month off the bench, Stony Brook Stables’ Dixie Spirit continues her comeback in a competitive $40,000 maiden special weight for fillies and mares that highlights Friday’s nine-race program at Laurel Park.
Trained by Cal Lynch and ridden by his brother, Feargal Lynch, Dixie Spirit drew post 7 and is second choice on the morning line at 9-2 in a field of 14 females 3 and older going 1 1/16 miles on the Exceller Turf Course.
Dixie Spirit is a 3-year-old daughter of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper bred in Kentucky by Adena Springs. In her sophomore debut, she ran second by a half-length to favored Conscription on June 9 at historic Pimlico Race Course in her first race since late November.
“We didn’t want to run her back too quick off the layoff so we just decided to give her the month. She had a couple of nice works in between, and I love Laurel. The track here should suit her,” Cal Lynch said. “It’s a nice big galloping track. She’s doing well and we’re excited about her. There’s a couple nice horses in there, but we’re delighted with our filly.”
Dixie Spirit ran three times at 2, finishing first in a $63,000 maiden special weight event at Parx Oct. 20 before being disqualified to second for interference in the stretch. Well-beaten in two tries on dirt, she returned with a game showing last month where she rated near the back of the pack along the inside before splitting horses late to challenge the winner, finishing 5 ½ lengths clear of Anissa in third.
Anissa, third to stakes winner Hidden Treat in a maiden event last fall at Laurel, is among Friday’s challengers along with narrow 4-1 program favorite Girls Secret, a $500,000 yearling purchase trained by Tony Dutrow making her 3-year-old debut; and Emory Hamilton’s homebred Lake Turkana, second in her unveiling last August at Laurel who most recently was third by two lengths in a 7 ½-furlong maiden turf sprint June 18 at Delaware Park.
“We’re excited about her. She does everything right. She wasn’t a real big filly. She was all legs, so we kind of let her just grow up over the winter,” Lynch said. “We’re just hoping to build off her last race and there’s no reason to think that she won’t. She finished really well and the filly that beat her that day is a nice filly, too. She went off at 6-5 so she was well-intended. Hopefully, our filly is a little better or runs back to the same race and we’ll be very competitive.”
Though she rallied from far back in her most recent effort, Dixie Spirit has shown the ability to race closer to the pace. Lynch said he will let his brother, aboard for a pair of half-mile works this month at Laurel, ride the filly as the race unfolds.
“When she won in Philadelphia and got [disqualified], she was a little closer that day. She took the lead a little too soon and ran a little green looking at the inside rail, the infield tote board and just kind of leaned as she was coming down the lane and we got taken down,” Lynch said. “She doesn’t have to be that far back and with a race under her she might not be. We just kind of let her grow up from 2 to 3 so here it is the middle of the summer and it’s nice to have a nice 3-year-old filly ready to go. Hopefully she’ll run a couple of really good races. They’re always tough but she’s training well so fingers crossed, she runs back.”
G3 Winner Divining Rod Breezes Five Furlongs at Fair Hill
Lael Stables’ Grade 3 winner Divining Rod, third in the 2015 Preakness Stakes (G1), had his first five-furlong breeze Thursday morning as he continues to work toward his 4-year-old debut.
Divining Rod and Arnaud Delacour-trained stablemate Set for Six, a 3-year-old maiden filly owned by Lael, worked together in 1:01 over the all-weather surface at Fair Hill, the fastest time of five horses at the distance.
It was the fifth breeze since June 9, all at Fair Hill, for Divining Rod, a dark bay Tapit colt that won the Lexington (G3) and was also third in the Ohio Derby and Indiana Derby (G3) last year before going to the sidelines following a fifth-place finish in the Smarty Jones Stakes (G3) Aug. 29 at Parx.
Since returning to Delacour’s barn in the spring, he had a pair of three- and four-furlong breezes on his own.
“I thought he did good. It was the kind of breeze we were looking for his first five-eighths,” Delacour said. “He had a good blow out of it and seemed to come back well. He was great. He was aggressive, more aggressive with the company, and I was pleased with what I saw.”
Delacour said Divining Rod will continue to breeze weekly and could make his first start of the year at this time next month.
Multiple Carryovers for Friday’s Twilight Program, Crushing Day to Perform
After being dark last Friday following a special July 4 holiday program, live racing returns to Laurel for its weekly twilight card that will greet bettors with multiple wagering carryovers.
First race post time is 3:40 p.m.
A total of 101 horses were entered for Friday, an average of 11.2 starters per race. The 50-cent Late Pick 5, featuring an industry-low 12 percent takeout, covers Races 5-9 offers a carryover of $5,071.08, while the $1 Super Hi-5 will have a carryover of $1,389.94 for Friday’s opener.
There will also be a carryover jackpot of $1,228.57 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6, which spans Races 4-9 and includes a $45,000 optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles on the All Along Turf Course that drew a field of 10 including stakes winner Flash McCaul, entered for main track only.
The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 60 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 40 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.
In addition to the live racing, Laurel is serving up casual food and drink specials with live music from 4 to 8 p.m. Performing Friday is popular local band Crushing Day.
Totally Thoroughbred Benefit Horse Show Sunday at Pimlico
The Totally Thoroughbred Horse Show to benefit the Foxie G Foundation and Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue will take place Sunday, July 17 in the infield at historic Pimlico Race Course.
A Thoroughbred Alliance Show Series (TASS) Member Show, it is open to thoroughbred horses only which will compete under their Jockey Club registered name.
Since 2012, the Totally Thoroughbred Horse Show has raised more than $45,000 to benefit thoroughbred aftercare organizations.
Horses will show in five divisions: the In Hand Division sponsored by Maryland Million Ltd.; Low Hunter Division and Child/Adult Amateur Working Hunter Division, sponsored by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association; Open Working Hunter Division sponsored by the Maryland Horse Breeders Association; and the Jumper Division.
All classes except for Low Hunter Division are eligible for TASS year-end award points in their respective divisions.
For more information, click here. You can also click here for the TASS website.
