Gifted Heart Beats the Boys in Juvenile Feature
Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for 11-Race Card Sunday

LAUREL, MD – Gifted Heart, the lone filly in a field of six juveniles – all of them coming off wins – forged a short lead after a quarter-mile and held it all the way to the wire, withstanding a furious late run from favored shipper Mischevious Alex to remain unbeaten Saturday at Laurel Park.

Rashid’s Thoroughbred Racing, Linda Walls, Rick Wallace and Kingdom Bloodstock’s Gifted Heart ($6.20) ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:04.76 over a fast main track in the $42,000 optional claiming allowance for 2-year-olds. Mischevious Alex, trained by Kentucky Derby (G1) winner John Servis, came up a neck shy in second off an eventful trip.

It was the second straight win for Gifted Heart following a nine-length romp in a waiver maiden claiming event for 2-year-old fillies June 7 at Laurel, where she is based with trainer Phil Schoenthal. Both wins came under seven-pound apprentice Victor Rosales.

Saturday’s race was brought back one week after being a casualty of the July 20 and 21 cancellation of races at Laurel due to extreme heat conditions.

“I’m not sure that the filly, mentally, is the kind just yet to get on a van and travel and go somewhere with big crowds like Saratoga or that kind of thing,” Schoenthal said. “We kept her in training knowing this race was in the book. I was a lot happier [last] Saturday in a six-horse field when it looked like she was going to be pretty heavily favored, and they canceled for the heat.

“It was OK with me, because I don’t think this filly handles the heat real well, based on the last couple weeks. When they re-drew the race and Servis came in here with a horse that looked like a monster on paper, I was feeling a little sorry for myself,” he added. “Obviously, it worked out for us. I’m just thrilled for her.”

Cash is King’s Mischevious Alex, an Into Mischief colt that fetched $140,000 as a 2-year-old in training in April, was made the 3-5 betting choice off an impressive debut victory June 25 at Parx and a pair of strong works at Monmouth Park. He broke running and quickly opened a two-length advantage a few strides out of the gate, chased by Sight of Heaven to his direct outside and Gifted Heart three wide, but was suddenly checked along the rail by jockey Jorge Vargas Jr. and dropped back to fourth as the top two continued on.

Rosales had Sight of Heaven sized up on the turn and took command with Gifted Heart once straightened for home, opening up on his pace rival. Meanwhile, Vargas was able to get Mischevious Alex back in stride and they came with a desperate late surge down the center of the stretch but fell just short. The result stood after a general stewards’ inquiry.

“Early on this filly needed a pony every day, [she was] turning over in the gate, silly [stuff],” Schoenthal said. “One day the light bulb went on and she hasn’t had a bad day since. That being said, as a horse trainer you know it’s in there somewhere and usually those kind of tendencies come out at the worst possible moment. I was a little hesitant, but as long as we could keep her here I’d just as soon run her out of her own stall.”

Robert C. Pruet Jr.’s 5-year-old Uncle Mo gelding Tolstoy ($27.80), racing for the first time in 14 months, made a triumphant return to competition with a front-running score in Saturday’s fifth race, a $45,000 second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up. The winning time was 1:34.81 over a firm Kelso turf course, giving Tolstoy his fourth win from six career starts.

Notes: Jockey Daniel Centeno registered a natural hat trick Saturday, finishing first aboard Tolstoy ($27.80) in Race 5, Something Magical ($10.80) in Race 6 and Frippery ($5) in Race 7 – all over Laurel’s world-class turf course. Both Something Magical and Gifted Heart ($6.20) in Race 4 are trained by Phil Schoenthal … There were no winners in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 Saturday, growing the carryover jackpot to $8,202.83 for Sunday’s 11-race card, which begins at 1:10 p.m. Tickets with five of six winners Saturday returned $134.96. There will be a carryover of $736.49 in the $1 Super Hi-5 for Sunday’s opener.