Aqueduct: Wide trip can't stop Joint Return in Busher

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Despite a pedestrian pace over a track whose winners were racing close to or on the lead, jockey Kendrick Carmouche said he was not concerned when his filly Joint Return dropped to the back of the pack in the early stages of Saturday’s $100,000 Busher Stakes.

As it turned out, there was no cause for concern as Joint Return launched her rally leaving the half-mile pole, went five wide turning for home, and cruised to a handy 4 1/4-length victory in the Busher Stakes at Aqueduct. Vero Amore, who like Joint Return is based at Parx, finished second, a half-length ahead of Ketel Twist.

Fierce Boots, the Busanda winner, finished fourth followed by Balleylee, the 8-5 favorite, My Jimmy Chew Girl and Fleet of Gold. Fleet Sixteen and Wraith were scratched.

The win was the third straight for Joint Return, a daughter of Include owned by Main Line Racing Stable and trained by John Servis.
Joint Return earned 10 points to qualifying for the May 2 Kentucky Oaks in the event that race draws more than 14 entries. Vero Amore (4), Ketel Twist (2) and Fierce Boots (1) also earned points.

Carmouche said he did something he rarely has done on Joint Return before a race in that he left the pony during the post parade to give her a good warm-up.

While Joint Return broke okay, she quickly dropped about nine lengths off the pace through a quarter run in 24.58 seconds. Carmouche kept the filly a bit wide and in the clear down the backside before asking her to move entering the far turn.

“Being 4 1/2 to five lengths off it was a good pace for her, and I thought from there they couldn’t beat her,” Carmouche said.

Also moving at that time was Ballylee, which forced Joint Return to go five wide. Despite being leaned on, Joint Return accelerated in the stretch and drew off in the final sixteenth. Joint Return covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:48.49 and returned $16 to win.

“This was going to be her acid test,” Servis said from Florida, where he watched the race. “To draw off like she did certainly showed some talent.”

Vero Amore ran well to be second in her first start around two turns. She was running back three weeks after getting beat a nose in the Ruthless Stakes.

“This filly’s game, she gives it a try," trainer Butch Reid said. "Maybe if [Ballylee] wasn’t in between them and she could have picked up on that horse she would have tried to go with them."

Ballylee, coming off a debut win, broke slowly and was a little rank in between horses, according to her jockey, Irad Ortiz Jr.