LAUREL, MD. 11-16-13---Manfred Roos & John Rigattieri’s Jessethemarine rallied from the back of the pack to win James F. Lewis III Stakes at odds of better than 35-1.

Under Daniel Centeno, Jessethemarine picked his way through traffic but was still far back at the top of the lane. He switched into another gear with a furlong to go and hit even greater acceleration as he moved by the 1/16^th pole. He caught the two horses who were still in front of him in the shadow of the finish line.

The son of With Distinction won by a neck in 1:10.66 for the six furlong distance. Frontrunner Pure Sensation finished second and It’s A Bang was another neck back in third.

“The six furlongs, we weren’t too confident,” said Rigattieri, who also trains the colt. “I thought I had a decent horse but there were six speed horses in here. He wasn’t going to make the front. My jockey, Danny, is a tough rider. People in Maryland might not know that . I didn’t see my horse until the straight.  At the 1/16^th I said he’ll be third. I still didn’t think he won until the announcer said he’d won. He’s run two good races now. We’ll find out what kind of horse he is next month in a  7/8ths race. Seven furlongs is more tactical.”

“I’ve been working him at Bowie a few times and he’s been doing good,” said Centeno.  “There was lots of speed in the race so I just wanted to see how they came out of the gate. At the 3/8ths pole he started dragging me and we got clear. At the 1/8th pole he gave me that extra kick to the finish. I was hoping he would make that one run today and he did.”

Jessethemarine was elevated to first from second in his previous start, the Whirling Ash Stakes at Delaware Park, after being bumped in the drive to the finish. Today he paid $73.80.

About Laurel Park

Laurel Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida and is one of North America's top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world's largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a major producer of televised horse racing programming through its HRTV cable and satellite network and is North America's premier supplier of virtual online horse racing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.