Aqueduct: Teen Pauline carries Irad Ortiz to fourth win on card in Top Flight

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. In a reprise of her two front-running scores earlier at the meet, Teen Pauline stayed perfect on Aqueduct’s inner track after setting the pace in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Top Flight Handicap.

Teen Pauline was coming off dominating wins in the Affectionately Stakes and the Ladies Handicap, and although her task in the Top Flight was made considerably easier by the late scratch of morning-line favorite and defending titlist Summer Applause, she gave bettors some anxious moment when she stumbled coming out of the gate and got away a half-step slow.

But Irad Ortiz Jr., who was notching his fourth victory on the card, righted Teen Pauline in the matter of a few strides, and they were able to get their customary position at the head of the five-horse field before reaching the clubhouse turn.

Just as she had done twice here in January, Teen Pauline doled out measured fractions, with the race essentially decided after early fractions of 25.11 and 49.45 seconds.

Ortiz looked back several times for some competition through midstretch, and put the 4-year-old Teen Pauline to a mild hand ride to complete 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.04 on a fast inner track.

“She broke a little slow today. She usually breaks in front,” said Ortiz. “But she was keen and got the lead easy. I never sent her. I know she has speed and she was in front all the way easily. When I asked her, she took off.”

The prohibitive choice, Teen Pauline won by 2 ½ lengths, and paid $2.70 to win. A homebred daughter of Tapit, Teen Pauline earned $120,000, and posted the first graded stakes victory of her career for Stonestreet Stables and trainer Todd Pletcher.

“She didn’t break as sharp, but once she got the lead, her ears perked up, she took a strong hold of Irad, and I thought we were safe,” said assistant trainer Byron Hughes.

Centring rallied from last to nose Flash Forward in the final strides for the runner-up spot, and it was nearly four lengths farther back to Royal Lahaina in fourth. Flores Island completed the order of finish.

Summer Applause was scratched about half an hour before the race, after injuring herself slightly in her stall after shipping over from Belmont Park.

“She was a little off behind, and we didn’t want to take a chance on running her,” said trainer Chad Brown.