Never Enough Time Springs Upset in $100,000 Alma North
Never Enough Time Springs Upset in $100,000 Alma North
Eastern Bay Takes Inside Route in $100,000 Polynesian
Harpers First Ride Captures $100,000 Deputed Testamony
Wicked Awesome Becomes Stakes Winner in $100,000 Twixt
LAUREL, MD – R. Larry Johnson’s Maryland homebred Never Enough Time, back in stakes company for the first time in more than a year, led nearly every step of the way and turned back a late challenge from seven-time stakes winner Chalon to win Saturday’s $100,000 Alma North at Laurel Park.
The fourth running of the six-furlong Alma North for fillies and mares 3 and up was the second of four $100,000 stakes that helped kick off Laurel’s Preakness Prep Weekend festivities, which continue with a special Labor Day holiday card Monday, Sept. 7 featuring the Federico Tesio and Weber City Miss for 3-year-olds, ‘Win and In’ events respectively for the Preakness (G1) and Black-Eyed Susan (G2) Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course.
Also on tap Saturday were the six-furlong Polynesian and about 1 1/16-mile Deputed Testamony for 3-year-olds and up, the latter returning to the stakes calendar for the first time since 2008, and the about 1 1/16-mile Twixt for fillies and mares 3 and older.
It was the first Alma North win for both trainer Mike Trombetta and jockey Julian Pimentel, who saw Never Enough Time finish fourth in the 2019 edition of the race, her last stakes appearance. She didn’t run again for 12 months, returning in a June 13 turf sprint at Laurel where she finished ninth.
“Honestly, we were just hoping to run and get a decent performance. I think the owner would have been tickled to death to hit the board in the race,” Trombetta said. “To win it, it’s just a hell of a lot better.”
Never Enough Time, a 4-year-old daughter of multiple graded-stakes winner Munnings, outraced rail-sitting longshot Last True Love for the early lead but was pressed by two-time Grade 1-placed even-money favorite Amy’s Challenge to her outside. The top two dueled through a quarter-mile in 22.23 seconds and a half in 45.88 with Chalon tracking in third after stumbling out of the gate.
Pimentel and Never Enough Time were still engaged with Amy’s Challenge approaching the stretch as Chalon began to pick it up. Never Enough Time put away Amy’s Challenge once straightened for home but had to fend off a determined late bid by the closer Chalon, holding on to win by a length.
“She’s obviously a very nice filly and she seems to do her best running on the front,” Pimentel said. “She’s just a nice filly and she handles the dirt better than the turf.”
Chalon, a winner of back-to-back stakes entering the Alma North as well as the 2018 Primonetta in her only previous start at Laurel, was 3 ½ lengths ahead of Last True Love in third. Bunting, Amy’s Challenge and Bye Bye Bertie completed the order of finish. Break Curfew was scratched.
“Truthfully, I didn’t know how it would play out. There were several speeds in there and none of them were overwhelmingly the fastest, and Julian just kind of played it out as it came. It looked like [Chalon] took a brief stumble out of the gate and that might have cost him a little bit of momentum,” Trombetta said. “Julian was content to stay down in there and I think we was able to give her a little bit a breather, and then when it heated up he still had enough horse to keep on so it was good.”
Never Enough Time now has four wins and a second from eight starts and is three-for-five lifetime at Laurel including back-to-back victories last spring to open her career and land her a spot in the Adena Springs Miss Preakness (G3), where she ran fifth.
Chalon, beaten a head when runner-up to champion Shamrock Rose in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) and placed in seven graded-stakes, earned $20,000 for second and is now just $8,105 shy of $1 million in purse earnings.
Alma North was the 1971 Horse of the Year and 1972 sprint champion in Maryland, amassing 23 wins from 78 starts before being retired in early 1974. She won 15 stakes, topped by the Matchmaker (G1) in 1973.
Eastern Bay Takes Inside Route in $100,000 Polynesian
Robert D. Bone’s Eastern Bay, under careful handling before and during the race, scooted through an opening along the inside to catch multiple stakes-winning favorite Laki in mid-stretch and pull away to win the 16th running of the $100,000 Polynesian by 1 ½ lengths.
It was the second stakes win on the card for Laurel summer meet-leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez and jockey Angel Cruz, who teamed up to win the $100,000 Deputed Testamony with Harpers First Ride.
Eastern Bay ($8.20) won for the third time in four starts since being claimed for $35,000 in February. He broke a step slow in two of his previous three races, a half-length win first time off the claim and a half-length loss when third in an open seven-furlong allowance Aug. 20 at Laurel.
“Claudio’s plan was to warm this horse up really good because of that, and that’s what we did,” Cruz said. “He told me if he doesn’t break well to just sit and wait for the moment and move. Last time he came with a big run and just missed but today he warmed up really good and broke good.”
Godolphin-bred Meru, front-running winner of the Smoke Glacken and third in the Nashua (G3) last fall, took the field through an opening quarter-mile in 22.31 seconds tracked by Laki and Onemoregreattime with Eastern Bay settled in fourth. Laki charged up two wide to take over the top spot after a half in 44.89 with Onemoregreattime on his right hip and Eastern Bay continuing to save ground inside.
“Claudio told me to get a good position because the outside horses have a lot of speed,” Cruz said, “and I was able to put him in a good position and waited for the hole, and it opened for him.”
Laki was in command after turning for home with Threes Over Deuces launching a bid on the far outside, but Eastern Bay had plenty of room along the rail to sail through the opening and draw off for his first career stakes win in his eighth try. His previous best stakes efforts came when fourth in the 2017 Frank Whiteley Jr. at Laurel and 2018 Russell Road at Charles Town.
“He didn’t break that sharp the last time and that’s why you have to tell the jockey to warm him up good, like today. Today he broke right there,” Gonzalez said. “This horse is a classy horse. With me, he has done everything right. He says to you, ‘Listen, I’m ready.’” Just a classy horse.”
Laki stayed up for second, a half-length ahead of Threes Over Deuces. It was another three-quarters of a length back to Whereshetoldmetogo in fourth.
The Polynesian honors the upset winner of the 1945 Preakness (G1) that won 27 of 58 career starts and win or place in 29 stakes. At stud, Polynesian is best known as the sire of Native Dancer and became one of eight Preakness winners to sire a Preakness winner when Native Dancer won the 1953 edition.
Harpers First Ride Captures $100,000 Deputed Testamony
MCA Racing Stable’s Harpers First Ride, back on his home track after a pair of unsuccessful efforts on the road, swept past multiple stakes winner Cordmaker near the eighth pole and sprinted away to a popular 3 ¼-length win in the $100,000 Deputed Testamony.
Trained by summer meet leader Claudio Gonzalez and ridden by Angel Cruz, 4-year-old gelding Harpers First Ride ($5) won for the seventh time in 13 career starts, six of them coming in seven tries at Laurel.
Infuriated, riding a two-race win streak, got out quickly and led after going the first quarter in 23.95 seconds and the half in 48.26. Cordmaker, fifth in each of his first three starts this year, prompted the pace in second with Harpers First Ride well settled in third.
Second by two necks in last year’s historic Pimlico Special (G3), Cordmaker took over the lead leaving the far turn but Harpers First Ride followed his move and loomed boldly three wide, taking over the top spot and powering to the wire. Cordmaker was a decisive second 4 ½ lengths ahead of Awesome D J.
“You can see how much he likes it here,” Gonzalez said. “I can’t complain about the trip. He had a perfect trip. He broke good and Angel let the two horses go in front and moved at the right time. He did an excellent job.”
It was the first stakes win for Harpers First Ride, who ran fifth in the Monmouth Cup (G3) July 18 in his stakes debut and was second over a muddy Parx strip last out Aug. 12. Six of his wins have come since Gonzalez claimed him from breeder Sagamore Farm last fall.
“He didn’t break sharp last time like he did today but even then he didn’t run that bad,” Gonzalez said. “He’s a racehorse. He tries all the time.”
The Deputed Testamony pays homage to the last Maryland-bred winner of the Preakness Stakes (G1), who upset Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Sunny’s Halo in 1983. Bred and raced by Bonita Farm and Francis P. Sears and trained by Bill Boniface, Deputed Testamony also won the Haskell (G1) and Federico Tesio in 1983.
Wicked Awesome Becomes Stakes Winner in $100,000 Twixt
Warwick Stable’s Wicked Awesome went last to first, collaring pacesetter Artful Splatter inside the eighth pole and drawing clear to earn her first career stakes victory in the 38th running of the $100,000 Twixt Stakes.
Ridden by Horacio Karamanos for trainer A. Ferris Allen III, Wicked Awesome ($7) ran about 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.33 over a fast main track for her sixth lifetime win and second straight at Laurel Park. Karamanos and Allen also teamed up to win the 2014 Twixt with Aunt Ellen, when it was held at Pimlico Race Course.
Artful Splatter, who upset Anna’s Bandit in the Jan. 18 Geisha at Laurel during a five-race win streak, jumped out to the early lead, as expected, and held it through splits of 23.65 and 47.38 seconds and 1:11.94. Juliana, a two-time Group 1 winner in Peru in 2018, gave closest chase with 4-5 favorite Smooth With a Kick in the clear in third.
Unhurried saving ground inside on Wicked Awesome through six furlongs, Karamanos tipped to the center of the track to mount a challenge against Artful Splatter at the top of the stretch, wearing down the leader and edging away to a four-length triumph. Artful Splatter held second over Smooth With a Kick, followed by Juliana and Tasting the Stars, the latter making her first start in more than 12 months.
The respective daughter and granddaughter of 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Awesome Again and Hall of Famer Curlin, Wicked Awesome was facing stakes company for the third straight race having finished fourth in the June 17 Obeah and fifth in the Delaware Handicap (G2) July 11 at Delaware Park.
“We had her in a couple of ambitious spots and in both of those spots she got in a lot of trouble and we thought she should have fared better,” Allen said. “This is the easiest spot she’s been in in three races. She had some trouble today, but she was full of run. This filly is terrific when she’s fresh. She’s a filly that just gets one inch better every time she runs. Not many horses are like that.”
Twixt was a Maryland-bred champion each year she raced, from 1972 to 1975, retiring as Maryland’s all-time leading money winner at $619,143. Maryland’s Horse of the Year in 1973 and 1974, she won 18 stakes from 71 starts for trainer Katy Voss, daughter of breeders Mr. and Mrs. John Merryman, and is a member of the Maryland-bred Thoroughbred Hall of Fame’s inaugural class of 2013.
