Alogon gets back on track with rail-skimming win in Laurel Dash
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For months, trainer Ned Allard said he has been waiting for Alogon to start looking like himself in the afternoons again. He couldn’t have asked the 7-year-old gelding for much more in the $100,000 Laurel Dash Stakes on Saturday at Laurel Park.
Operating in tight quarters in a game stretch run, jockey Forest Boyce kept the salty veteran to task on the rail, where he dug deep to put away the front-runner Victory Achieved for a three-quarter-length score.
“That was a perfect ride,” trainer Ned Allard said. “I've never seen him come through on the inside. But they ran quick and he ran very professional. He’s a 7-year-old who looks like he can still do it.”
In his first two starts this year, Alogon was arguably compromised by poor racing luck, bobbling at the break in the $100,000 Get Serious and traveling wide for a close seventh in the $150,000 Van Clief. He didn’t take any chances on Saturday, settling into the perfect stalking position in the six-furlong turf sprint.
Victory Achieved, the last-out runner-up in the Van Clief for Mark Casse, took the initiative at Laurel and got away with soft early fractions under Sonny Leon. The 5-year-old gelding completed the opening quarter-mile in 24.24 seconds and inevitably quickened through a half-mile in 47.21.
With plenty left in the stretch, the front-running favorite had more than enough left in the stretch and successfully repelled Card Trick. The late closers Senbei and Witty never came close.
But when Boyce held her inside position aboard Alogon, the gelding readily shot through a small gap on the rail to draw alongside the leader.
Leon and Victory Achieved certainly didn’t do the Allard trainee any favors, keeping him pinned inside, but he could not be denied. Alogon edged away near the wire, completing the six-furlong sprint in 1:09.09 and paying $14.60 to win.
Victory Achieved, denied despite an ideal ride from Leon, finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Senbei, a New York shipper trained by Clement. Witty made his typical run from the back for Merryman but had to settle for fourth.
Gift of Gab upsets Sensible Lady
Gift of Gab, a 7-year-old mare with minimal stakes experience, pulled off an 11-1 upset in the $100,000 Sensible Lady Turf Dash Stakes on Saturday. The Suzanne Stettinius trainee flew home late under Jorge Ruiz to snipe Somnium by three-quarters of a length.
Despite winning a $12,500 starter allowance at Colonial Downs last month, Gift of Gab understandably fell under the radar while stepping back up to stakes company. She went off as the third longest price in the field of eight fillies and mares and paid $24.40 to win.
In her 33 prior starts, the Maryland-bred had only run in four stakes, including three editions of the state-restricted Jameela. This year’s running of that race at Laurel was her last attempt at six furlongs in June, when she just missed by a neck with an 89 Beyer Speed Figure. The added ground proved to be enough this time.
The 3-year-old filly Gerrards Cross was expected to be the pacesetter in the Sensible Lady Turf Dash, but she was outkicked early by Le Amazonia, who briefly took clear command and completed the opening quarter-mile in 23.06 seconds. The 25-1 longshot Come to Mama hustled forward to duel and took a short lead through a half-mile in 45.99.
The two front-runners were still battling at the top of the stretch, but they did not remain the focal point for long. Somnium, an improving filly trained by Elizabeth Merryman, advanced into a stalking position early and had the first chance at running down the top pair. She moved with Les Reys, but the Miguel Clement trainee failed to find running room on the rail.
Just behind in fifth, Gift of Gab and Ruiz waited a little longer to launch their bid in mid-stretch. By the time she came calling, jockey Jevian Toledo was getting ready to kick clear aboard Somnium, but she could not draw off and failed to keep her final challenger at bay.
The last move proved to be the winning one, as Gift of Gab came charging at a flagging Somnium and got around her just in time. She completed the six-furlong sprint in 1:09.29.
Come to Mama, resilient after hustling for the early lead, held of for third for trainer Sarah White, finishing a half-length behind Somnium and a neck ahead of Les Reys.
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