Never Gone South Makes It Look Easy In Whiteley
Never Gone South Makes It Look Easy In Whiteley
Karen's Silk Drives to Victory in The Marshua
Sonny Inspired Upset Winner of Fire Plug
LAUREL, MD - After two tough beats in the Marylander Stakes and James F Lewis Stakes in his last two starts, M M G Racing Stable's Never Gone South returned to the winner's circle in a big way Saturday afternoon with a 7 1/4-length victory in the $75,000 Frank Whiteley Jr. Stakes at Laurel Park.
Breaking on top in the five-horse field and going directly to the front under jockey Trevor McCarthy, Never Gone South galloped past easy fractions of :24.14 and :47.91 before covering the seven furlongs over a good track in 1:23.92.
"Trevor came into the paddock and said, 'We're just going to lead,' and I said, 'That's a plan,' " said trainer Cathal Lynch. "There wasn't a whole lot of speed in there and he's been ding-donging against some really nice horses."
Never Gone South finished second to Vorticity in the Marylander, who went on to finish second in the Jerome (G2), and second to Awesome Speed in the Lewis, who went on to win the Mucho Macho Man.
A 3-year-old son of Munnings, Never Gone South has now won three of five starts and has not finished worse than second.
"He showed his true class today," McCarthy said.
After breaking his maiden at Parx in June and winning the Strike Your Colors Stakes at Delaware in August, Never Gone South came up three-quarters of a length short in both the Marylander and James Lewis coming off the pace. In the Whiteley, McCarthy cruised to the front before opening up quickly around the turn and then increasing his margin of victory throughout the stretch.
"We got a good break," McCarthy said. "He was out there on an easy lead and he was so comfortable going around there today.
Lynch said the $75,000 Miracle Wood Stakes at Laurel Feb. 15 at a mile could be next for Never Gone South.
Karen's Silk Drives to Victory in The Marshua
GRD Two Racing's Karen's Silk drove past Aye a Song and Lost Raven down the stretch to win the $75,000 The Marshua by 1 1/4 lengths.
A daughter of High Cotton who broke her maiden at Delaware in October, Karen's Silk covered a good six furlong main track in 1:12.53 for trainer Michael Dilger.
Aye a Song, coming off two consecutive stakes victories at Charles Town, broke on top in the five-horse field and was pressed by 1-2 favorite Lost Raven from the inside past an opening quarter in :23.15 and a half in :47.11. Karen's Silk, fourth down the backstretch, was moved three-wide around the turn by jockey Jevian Toledo before taking the lead above the final sixteenth.
"She broke good and I was in a great spot all the way," Toledo said. "When I asked her, she gave me everything she had."
Karen's Silk returned $8.
Sonny Inspired Upset Winner of Fire Plug
D. Hatman Thoroughbred's Sonny Inspired, fifth in the De Francis Memorial in November, took the lead entering the stretch and drew away to a 1 3/4 length victory in the $75,000 Fire Plug.
A 5-year-old son of Artie Schiller equipped with blinkers after racing without them in his previous two starts, Sonny Inspired (12-1) covered the six furlongs in 1:10.95. Trained by Phil Schoenthal and ridden by Jevian Toledo, Sonny Inspired has now five of 27 races.
Fifth past an opening quarter of :22.70 set by favored Jake N Elwood, Toledo moved Sonny Inspired three-wide at the top of the stretch and quickly opened up a length. Majestic Hussar, steadied entering the stretch, finished second.
