Montu triggers $915 exacta in Rushaway
FLORENCE, Ky. - Montu, whose affinity for Turfway Park was already established, led home a longshot exacta to light up the tote board in the $100,000 Rushaway Stakes, the first of three stakes Saturday at the northern Kentucky track.
Montu, trained and co-owned by Joseph Deegan, is now 3 for 5 on his career with his first stakes victory, with all three wins coming at Turfway. A son of prominent young sire Dialed In, Montu suffered his lone defeat locally last out when he was sixth in the John Battaglia Memorial, the local prep for the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes.
Montu ($36.20) was away well under Rodney Prescott Jr., and led inside dual stakes winner Cool Arrow through fractions of 23.55 seconds, 47.53, and 1:11.62.
"When we hit the three-eighths, I was pretty confident," said Prescott, who was winning his third race of the day. "He got an easy lead and relaxed when he made the lead."
Cool Arrow began to fade from the picture, but Capture the Glory, sent away at 70-1 off a Turfway maiden victory, made a strong move on the far turn and rallied to get Montu in his sights. The leader turned back that challenger, kicking clear again to hit the wire 1 1/4 lengths in front and stopping the clock in 1:44.85 for the 1 1/16 miles.
"He was waiting a little. He didn't really kick until I asked him," Prescott said.
Capture the Glory nosed out Gorgeous Kitten for second, with the top two triggering a $915 exacta payout. After the top three, it was five lengths back to Hansenation; favored Sailing Home was never a factor in sixth, while Cool Arrow faded to seventh in the field of eight.
