Battle Bling scores in Twixt, part of stakes-filled Laurel card

Battle Bling took the race to favored Coach, moved to the front after five furlongs, then gamely beat back all challenges on Saturday to win Laurel Park’s $100,000 Twixt Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles.

The Twixt was one of five stakes on the program along with the $75,000 Challedon for 3-year-olds and up, the $150,000 Laurel Futurity for 2-year-olds, the $150,000 Selima for 2-year-old fillies, and the $100,000 Japan Turf Cup for 3-year-olds and upward.

Trained by Rob Atras for Michael Dubb and Gandharvi Racing, Battle Bling would not allow favored Coach an easy early lead.

Hustled from the gate by jockey Angel Cruz, Battle Bling battled outside Coach through an opening quarter of 24.25 seconds, then inched a half-length clear after a half-mile clocking in 48.77.

Battle Bling spurted away from Coach after five furlongs, rebuffed an outside challenge from Jilted Bride following six furlongs in 1:13.75, then had plenty in the tank to fend off a resurgent Coach.

She completed the distance in 1:45.17 over the sloppy track while 1 1/4 lengths clear of Coach and returned $5.60 to win as the second choice in the betting.

Jilted Bride was another 2 3/4 lengths behind in third. Completing the order of finish were Breviary and Click to Confirm. Hybrid Eclipse, The Grass Is Blue, and Malibu Beauty scratched.

“That was the game plan,” Atras said about Battle Bling’s aggressive tactics. “Last race, Irad [Ortiz] put her in the race a little bit earlier, and I liked the way she responded. I didn’t know if the slop is her favorite type of track, so I thought if we put her in a forward position, we wouldn’t have the kickback or slop in her face.”

Coach ran just fine considering it was her first start following a 231-day layoff. She seemed one-paced on the second turn, but gamely kicked on in the stretch while never showing any quit.

Battle Bling was claimed for $62,500 out of her final start of 2021, a runner-up effort at Aqueduct on Dec. 19. She immediately paid dividends for her new connections with a win in the Ladies at Aqueduct on Jan. 16.

Since that race, Battle Bling has placed in four stakes including the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap. She also finished fourth in the Grade 1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs.

In her final start prior to the Twixt, Battle Bling won a $100,000 handicap at Colonial Downs.

“She shipped really good at Colonial,” Atras said. “A couple of times, when we shipped to Delaware, for whatever reason, she got washed out a little bit. Same with Churchill. As we’ve had her longer, we’ve gotten to know her a little better, and she’s been shipping better to her destinations before races. I think that plays a big part in it too.”

A 4-year-old filly by Vancouver bred in Kentucky by Royal Oak Farm and E. Kiely, Battle Bling has won 5 of 20 starts for lifetime earnings of $535,617.

“She’s a real honest filly, she tries hard every time and we’re very lucky that we got her,” Atras said.

Challedon

Factor It In rallied from off the pace to win the seven-furlong Challedon, a restricted event for horses that had not won an open stakes.

Conditioned by Carlos Mancilla, Factor It In saved ground in midpack as Backnthewoods cleared from the far outside to post early fractions of 23.22 and 47.01 seconds.

Factor It In traveled sweetly on the backstretch, eased out to split rivals three wide turning for home, and set sail after Backnthewoods, who still maintained the lead at the furlong pole.

Factor It In readily went by the pacesetter and finished 2 3/4 lengths better than favored Yodel E. A. Who, who moved a half-length past Backnthewoods for second in the waning strides.

Then came Famished, Air Token, Torch of Truth, Crouchelli, Treasure Tradition, and Excellorator.

Goldenize scratched.

Factor It In returned $10.80 as the third choice in the wagering. He completed the distance in 1:24.16.

Yodel E. A. Who got up for second despite never looking like a winner. He raced in fine midpack position on the outside but couldn’t step with Factor It In when that one surged inside him turning into the stretch.

Factor It In was claimed for $25,000 by Mancilla for Michael Scheffres out of a victory at Laurel on Nov. 17, 2019. The Challedon was Scheffres’ first stakes win as an owner.

The gray went to the sidelines following a fourth-place finish in an allowance race here last fall but returned in career-form as a 6-year-old.

He earned an allowance win at Laurel on July 10, his first run of the year, then was placed second via disqualification after a troubled trip in the Chesapeake Stakes at Colonial on Aug. 16.

Bred in Kentucky by Pope McLean, Marc McLean, Pope McLean Jr., and Phil Hager, Factor It In is by The Factor. He has captured 9 races from 23 starts for lifetime earnings of $325,180. Factor It In has won 6 of 10 starts at Laurel Park.

* The Laurel Futurity, Selima. and Japan Turf Cup all moved from the turf to the sloppy main track due to heavy rain.

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Along with the surface switch, both the Laurel Futurity and Selima were moved back from 1 1/16 miles to a one-turn mile. The Japan Turf Cup was shortened from 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/4 miles.

Laurel Futurity

Congruent benefited from a patient ride from Feargal Lynch to best Otago in the Laurel Futurity.

A 2-year-old son of Tapit trained by Antonio Sano, Congruent tracked from the inside pocket as favored Splendor Beauty and Free Soul sparred through fractions of 24.36 and 48.49 seconds.

The pacesetters began to tire midway on the turn, however, and Congruent was held up in behind rivals awaiting a seam.

That hole opened turning into the stretch and Lynch maneuvered Congruent in between horses to challenge Otago, who emerged with the lead after six furlongs in 1:15.03.

Congruent drove through inside Otago and got away from his rival to score by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:40.45 seconds. He returned $23.40 to win as the sixth choice in the wagering.

Otago sat a good trip tracking the pace directly outside Congruent, eased three wide with a clear run, and stayed on well for second, 6 3/4 lengths ahead of Freedom Road.

Then came Fun Lovin Criminal, We Dont Need Roads, Quincy Café, Free Soul, Roan Burgundy, and Splendor Beauty.

Dataman, Dandy Handyman, Fire Baron, and Hendrickson scratched.

Bred in Kentucky by Tapit Syndicate and Glencrest Farm, Congruent was purchased in March for $350,000 by Sano on behalf of owners Tami Bobo and Lugamo Racing Stable.

Congruent raced three times prior to the Laurel Futurity, all on dirt. He won his maiden in his second start, a seven-furlong maiden-special at Gulfstream on Aug. 13, then finished third behind subsequent stakes-placed performer Midnight Trouble in a “two-life” allowance at Delaware on Sept. 10.

A half-brother to stakes-winning turf router Oceans Map out of Grade 2-winning synthetic sprinter Part the Seas, Congruent improved his lifetime record to two wins from four starts for earnings of $119,240.

Selima

Born Dapper made her dirt debut a winning one with a professional victory in the Selima.

Ridden by Jevian Toledo, Born Dapper tracked pacesetter Anotherdaygoneby from the inside through early fractions of 25.03 and 49.61 seconds.

Anotherdaygoneby opened a clear advantage on the turn, but Born Dapper was moving very comfortably. Toledo eased to the outside and Born Dapper took off.

She ran by Anotherdaygoneby turning into the stretch and kept to her task, streaking under the wire 3 1/4 lengths better than the pacesetter.

Anotherdaygoneby placed 2 3/4 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Lady Azteca, who led home Bee Mountain, The Classy One, What an Honor, Cha Cha Tap, and Majesty’s Freedom.

Lifelovenlaughter, Private Credit, and Delight scratched.

Born Dapper returned $8.20 as the second choice in the betting and raced the mile in 1:42.19.

“She’s been genuine on anything we’ve put her on,” said winning trainer Jonathan Thomas in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park. “We actually breezed her in the mud about three weeks ago and I thought she handled it really well.”

Beaten favorite What an Honor also raced on dirt for the first time, but with much different results. She pushed the leaders three wide but came under hard urging early on the turn and never made an impact.

Born Dapper is a homebred owned by George Strawbridge Jr.’s Augustin Stable. She was foaled in Kentucky and is a daughter of Union Rags from the family of quality turf runners Owsley and Senada.

Born Dapper officially ran three times prior to the Selima, winning a maiden special weight at one mile on Monmouth turf on Aug. 13. One of her other races, a maiden special weight at Saratoga, was declared a no-contest. She now has earnings of $140,468.

Japan Turf Cup

Armando R took advantage of a hot pace, especially for the 1 1/4-mile distance, and ran them all down to take the Japan Turf Cup by a neck over Beacon Hill.

A 6-year-old gelding by Blame, Armando R settled at the rear of the field under Horacio Karamanos as Vance Scholars and What Say Thee dueled through highly contested fractions of 23.09 and 47.14 seconds.

Vance Scholars put away his primary pace pursuer after six furlongs in 1:13.35 but was almost immediately challenged by a three-wide Beacon Hill.

Beacon Hill moved to the lead during into the stretch but began to hang a little bit while in front. That allowed Vance Scholars to get back into it from the rail while Armando R gathered steam down the crown of the track.

Armando R moved best at the wire to get past Beacon Hill in 2:06.13. A very game Vance Scholars finished another three-quarters behind in third. Next up were Carrothers, favored Burning Bright, What Say Thee, Bizzee Channel, and Samui Sunset.

Oceans Map, Royne, and Basso scratched. Armando R returned $14 as the third betting choice.

Armando R had never won on turf, and the connections had to be thrilled when the Japan Turf Cup was washed to the main track.

“We were glad that the race held together pretty well today because you almost always get a little more pace,” trainer Damon Dilodovico said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park.

Armando R was bred in Kentucky by Brushy Hill LLC, and is a half-brother to C C Cruise Control, a 2-year-old filly that recently finished third in the $500,000 Juvenile Fillies on turf at Kentucky Downs. Another half-sibling, Fifthatnarraganset, is stakes-placed sprinting on Polytrack.

Armando R was claimed by Dilodovico for owner Ronald Cuneo for $16,000 out of a winning effort at Laurel on Nov. 28, 2011. He won a second-level allowance at Laurel on June 12, then finished fourth in a Delaware allowance on Sept. 3, his final start prior to the Japan Turf Cup.

Armando R has won 6 of 23 starts for lifetime earnings of $258,120.

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