Unbridled Juan Gutsy Winner of Laurel Feature Friday
Unbridled Juan Gutsy Winner of Laurel Feature Friday
Girls Love Me Stakes-Bound Following Impressive Friday Win
Four Stakes Worth $300,000 in Purses Highlight Saturday Program
LAUREL, MD – Stronach Stable’s multiple graded-stakes placed homebred Unbridled Juan wrested the lead from a stubborn Phlash Phelps in the final sixteenth and withstood a frantic bid from late-running Duff to capture Friday’s featured seventh race at Laurel Park.
With Hall of Famer Edgar Prado in the irons, Unbridled Juan ($6.20) emerged from a three-way photo a head in front of Duff in the open $55,000 allowance for 3-year-olds and up, with Phlash Phelps another head back in third. The winning time was 1:36.17 for one mile, having been moved from the All Along turf course to a main track rated good.
It was the first win from three starts since being moved to the Laurel barn of trainer Jose Corrales for Unbridled Juan, second by less than a length in an off-the-turf Dixie Stakes (G3) May 19 at legendary Pimlico Race Course in his 6-year-old debut.
“That was great, especially for the horse. Edgar rode a very good race,” Corrales said. “He just aimed him to the wire. When you can get a rider like that, you’re just very lucky to have him.”
Arthur’s Hope led the field of six through a quarter-mile in 24.10 seconds and a half in 47.02, with Phlash Phelps poised to strike while in the clear two wide as Unbridled Juan settled in behind the top pair.
Maryland-bred champion turf horse Phlash Phelps, racing for the first time on dirt since May 22, 2015 at Pimlico, forged a short lead in mid-stretch, but Unbridled Juan split he and Arthur’s Hope to get in front nearing the wire with Duff’s sweeping outside move getting the best of Phlash Phelps but coming up just short of the winner.
“They opened up a little bit but he had plenty of horse coming to the stretch. He’s a horse that can not give you that much. You’re just going have to win by a little bit, and he did,” Corrales said. “He’s one of those horses that you have to look for the wire at the right time, and Edgar knows where the wire is.”
Arthur’s Hope was 1 ½ lengths behind Phlash Phelps in fourth, followed by Barney Rebel and multiple stakes-winner O Dionysus, who went off as the slight 2-1 favorite over Unbridled Juan off his track-record performance in winning the Cape Henlopen Stakes July 7 at Delaware Park.
Unbridled Juan, by Unbridled’s Song out of the Touch Gold mare Sugar Swirl – all multiple graded-stakes winners – now has five wins, seven seconds and eight thirds from 23 lifetime starts, and pushed his earnings past the $400,000 mark. In addition to the Dixie, he was third in the 2017 Eclipse Stakes (G2) at Woodbine.
Girls Love Me Stakes-Bound Following Impressive Friday Win
Promising 2-year-old colt Girls Love Me made a successful debut for his new connections, rolling to an impressive five-length front-running score over fellow juveniles in Friday’s second race, a $42,000 entry-level optional claiming allowance on the main track.
Trained by summer meet leader Claudio Gonzalez for Super C Racing Inc., who acquired the chestnut son of Grade 1 winner Girolamo following his sixth-place finish to Laurel-based Our Braintrust in the June 8 Tremont Stakes at Belmont Park, completed 5 ½ furlongs in 1:04.33.
Girls Love Me sped unpressured through fractions of 22.35 and 45.86 seconds, pulling away from stalker Windsors for It on the turn and expanding his advantage through the stretch. Sapphire Shilling rallied to be second over Windsors for It while Alwaysmining, the 1-2 favorite, was never a factor and finished fifth.
“He showed his speed today and he ran good,” Gonzalez said. “[Alwaysmining] is a good horse. I’m very happy with how he ran. I believe when he goes longer he’s going to be even better because he won’t have to rush and he can run one pace.”
Girls Love Me was bred in Maryland by Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds. In his only other start, he cruised by 5 ½ lengths in a 4 ½-furlong maiden claiming event May 12 at legendary Pimlico Race Course for previous trainer Anthony Farrior and owner Michael Coombs.
The win was Gonzalez’s sixth from 12 juvenile starters this year, to go along with four seconds and a third. He and Torres also joined forces to win Friday’s fifth race with Charming Morty ($9.20), and Gonzalez added a third winner with Angelinthemorning ($10.60) in the ninth-race finale.
“I feel very confident because I put them in the right spot where they can win. That is the key to everything,” he said. “To me, he’s got a lot of room to improve. He’s still a baby. He’s still learning. He’s going to be a good horse. Now we’ll have to look for a stake.”
Four Stakes Worth $300,000 in Purses Highlight Saturday Program
A quartet of $75,000 stakes for Virginia-bred/sired horses over Laurel’s world-class turf course serve to highlight Saturday’s 10-race program that begins at 1:10 p.m.
The 5 ½-furlong Camptown and 1 1/16-mile William M. Backer for fillies and mares 3 and up kick off the stakes action in Race 3 and 4, respectively. They are followed by the 1 1/16-mile Hansel and 5 ½-furlong Meadow Stable for 3-year-olds and up in Races 6 and 7, respectively.
There will be a carryover of $2,312.77 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6, covering races 5-10. Multiple tickets with all six winners Friday were worth $681.44.
Notes: Jockey Andrew Wolfsont rode back-to-back winners Friday aboard Reality Queen ($16.20) in the third race and Ujayi ($20) in the fifth. Jorge Vargas Jr. also had a pair of wins, with Dutch Blitz ($15) in the first and Keep Your Distance ($3.40) in the sixth. Keep Your Distance and Girls Love Me are both owned by Super C Racing.
