Sticksstatelydude Takes to Turf in $75,000 Edward Evans
Sticksstatelydude Takes to Turf in $75,000 Edward Evans
Armoire Gets First Stakes Win in $75,000 Nellie Mae Cox
LAUREL, MD – Sticksstatelydude, already a Grade 3 winner on dirt, transferred his stakes-winning form to the grass with a one-length victory over defending champion Special Envoy in Saturday’s $75,000 Edward Evans on Commonwealth Day at Laurel Park.
The one-mile Edward Evans was the third of four $75,000 stakes restricted to Virginia-bred/sired horses 3 and up over Laurel’s world-class turf course on the 11-race program. It was preceded by the Nellie Mae Cox and M. Tyson Gilpin for fillies and mares and followed by the 5 ½-furlong White Oak Farm.
Sticksstatelydude ($3.60), favored at 4-5 over his five rivals, went the distance with jockey Jorge Vargas Jr. in 1:34.85 over a firm Dahlia turf course. Special Envoy, who swept the three-race series at Laurel for Virginia-bred/sired horses last year, held on for second by a neck over Speed Gracer.
It was just the third start on turf for Sticksstatelydude, the winner of the 2016 Discovery (G3) at Aqueduct who finished fourth behind Grade 1 winner Almanaar in an optional claimer at Belmont Park 15 days earlier.
The Evans was the second straight race for Sticksstatelydude since being moved full-time to the barn of Kiaran McLaughlin, who had cared for and run the 5-year-old son of First Dude on the East Coast for his childhood friend, former Kentucky-based trainer Greg Burchell.
“That was a great win. I’m very happy for Greg. He’s the one that’s been with him the most hours in his life,” McLaughlin said by phone. “[Vargas] rode him very well. We thought we might be on an uncontested lead but it didn’t quite work out that way. But, I liked the way the race unfolded and the way Jorge Vargas rode him. It worked out well.”
Breaking from the far outside post, Sticksstatelydude found himself floated wide when 90-1 long shot Trustifarian drifted around the first turn, but he was able to settle in the clear three-wide as Carbon Data took the field through a quarter-mile in 23.42 seconds and a half in 46.98, pressed by Trustifarian.
Sticksstatelydude moved up to a contending position around the far turn and assumed the lead straightening for home, going six furlongs in 1:11.06. The winner stayed strong to the wire as Special Envoy made his belated bid after racing in mid-pack and tipping outside in the stretch to edge Speed Gracer.
“I was pretty confident,” Vargas said. “They told me to put him in the race and I did. He kind of took his time to get it together, but when he does he’s a beautiful thing to ride.”
McLaughlin has trained Sticksstatelydude on and off during the horse’s career with Burchell, who was based at Churchill Downs before giving up his last two horses and moving to North Carolina. The horse is named for one of Burchell’s long-time owners, Alvin ‘Stick’ Haynes, the late founder of Haynes Trucking in Lexington.
Haynes is still listed among the horse’s owners, along with his son, Mitch; John Ferris, another long-time client; Brad Ward, the nephew of a friend; and Pack Pride Racing, headed by Burchell’s wife, Beth, with two of her North Carolina State roommates. Burchell and Co., including breeder Canyon Lake Thoroughbreds, were on hand for Saturday’s race.
“We’ve been very blessed. We don’t all get together that often but it’s great when it all comes together,” Burchell said. “He’s a horse that’s had some physical problems and we’ve had to stop on him from time to time. The turf is easier on him considering his injuries,” he added. “His mother and his sister both won on the turf so we figured we’d give him a chance and we’re fortunate that it worked out.”
McLaughlin said he plans to point Sticksstatelydude to the next race in the series, the $75,000 Hansel Stakes going 1 1/16 miles Aug. 4 at Laurel.
Armoire Gets First Stakes Win in $75,000 Nellie Mae Cox
After running second in all three Virginia-bred/sired stakes last year, twice finishing behind Queen Caroline, Armoire turned the tables on her main rival with a 1 ½-length victory in the $75,000 Nellie Mae Cox.
It was the first career stakes win for Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Firestone’s homebred, a 5-year-old daughter of Artie Schiller, who ran one mile in 1:34.61 under jockey Daniel Centeno over a Dahlia layout rated good.
“It worked out well,” winning trainer Arnaud Delacour said. “We had a good pace in front of us. She relaxed very well and came and made one move, and that’s the kind of race she likes to run.”
Sent off the even-money favorite in a field of seven, Armoire ($4.20) settled along the inside in fifth behind fractions of 22.81 seconds, 46.03 and 1:10.58 set by Zenbennie and Delacour-trained stablemate Well Blessed. Defending champion Queen Caroline and jockey Alex Cintron sat third as the field rounded the far turn when Centeno swept to the outside and got the first jump, opening up after finding daylight in the stretch and having plenty left to dismiss a late charge from Drop Dead Red.
“She got a perfect trip. She broke sharp and I just covered her up on the inside and saved all the ground,” Centeno said. “On the last turn I was looking at Cintron to see what he was doing, so I moved up outside of him. He’s the horse I had to beat and when I asked her, she moved really good and I surprised him.”
Queen Caroline stayed on to be third, 2 ¼ lengths behind Drop Dead Red and four lengths ahead of 18-1 long shot Complete St., followed by Zenbennie, Well Blessed and Secret Or Not.
Delacour said Armoire is likely to come back in the next race of the Virginia-bred/sired series, the $75,000 William M. Backer Stakes Aug. 4 at Laurel.
“That’s probably going to be the plan, to wait, give her plenty of time between races,” he said. “She likes that. She seems to run well fresh.”
