Maiden Winner is a ‘Doozy’ Friday at Laurel
Maiden Winner is a ‘Doozy’ Friday at Laurel
Mr. Benz on Cruise Control in Allowance Feature
Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Saturday
LAUREL, MD – Burning Daylight Farms’ It’s a Doozy made a bold sweeping move on the far turn, forged a short lead in mid-stretch and kept on to the wire to spring a 41-1 upset in Friday’s $40,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies at Laurel Park.
It was the first win in her third career start for It’s a Doozy ($84.60), ridden by Elvis Trujillo for trainer Ferris Allen. The dark bay or brown daughter of 2012 juvenile male champion Shanghai Bobby ran six furlongs in 1:13.92 over a fast main track.
“It’s a Doozy, all right!” Maryland Jockey Club track announcer Dave Rodman said. “40-1!”
RMJ Stables’ Safwah, a $485,000 November 2015 breeding stock sale purchase trained by Graham Motion making her second start, led the field of six through an opening quarter-mile in 23.08 seconds, with Velocita Brillante taking over after a half in 47.73. It’s a Doozy was settled tracking in fourth for four furlongs before launching her bid on the outside and pulling clear of Velocita Brillante past the eighth pole to win by a length.
“We only paid $15,000 for her but we love the filly. She had some bad luck in her first two starts,” Allen said. “We rated her and she did nicely rating, and that’s what happens.”
Joseph Besecker’s Mr. Benz drove to the lead on the far outside leaving the backstretch and was on cruise control down the lane powering to a xxxxxx-length victory in Race 8, a $45,000 second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up.
Favored at 2-1, Mr. Benz ($6.40) completed six furlongs in 1:11.57 for his fourth win from the last seven starts. Joy Drive was second, with Miners Quest third.
“We liked him today. The last couple times he’s been going 5 ½ [furlongs],” said Troy Singh, assistant to winning trainer Claudio Gonzalez. “Today he got the three-quarters, and Jomar rode a good race.”
For Saturday’s nine-race card there will be a jackpot carryover of $535.33 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 beginning in Race 4, and a $730.91 carryover in the $1 Super Hi-5 in the opener.
Notes: Jockey Sheldon Russell won back-to-back races aboard Kaitain ($4.40) in the fifth and Papacho ($17.40) in the sixth. Also with two wins Friday were jockey Jomar Torres and trainer Claudio Gonzalez with Champagne Time ($5.20) in the second and Mr. Benz ($6.40) in the eighth.
