Carmouche rides winners in Weather Vane and Laurel Dash

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche won two of the four stakes Saturday at Pimlico Race Course when he guided Smash Ticket to a smashing win in the $100,000 Weather Vane and Carotari to a dramatic victory in the $100,000 Laurel Dash.

Smash Ticket ($4) set the pace in the Weather Vane for 3-year-olds fillies, turning out fractions of 23.12 seconds for the opening quarter and 45.53 for the half-mile. She then went on to a 6 1/4-length win, while covering six furlongs on a fast track in 1:09.99.

“I thought she was the fastest horse,” Carmouche said in a post-race interview conducted by Pimlico.

“She did the race. You don’t have to do much on good horses.”

Famed rallied for second, while it was another 2 1/4 lengths back in third to Moody Woman.

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Smash Ticket is a daughter of Midnight Lute who was winning her first stakes race Saturday. She races for her breeder, Brad King, as well as Stan Kirby, Suzanne Kirby and Barbara Coleman. Smash Ticket, who is a half-sister to five-time stakes winner Slammed, is now 4 for 6 for earnings of $218,620.

Carmouche was back in the winner’s circle for the final stakes, the Laurel Dash, in which Carotari withstood a furious bid from runner-up Comedy Town and an objection from the rider of third-place finisher Matta.

There was no change made to the order of finish, with Carotari an official nose winner. It was another length back in third to Matta.

Carotari ($4.60) set fractions of 22.06 seconds for the opening quarter and 44.53 for the half-mile in the five-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up. He covered the distance on firm ground in 56.20.

Brian Lynch trains Carotari for William Branch. Carotari is a son of Artie Schiller and won his sixth career stakes race Saturday. Overall, he is 10 for 28 for earnings of $683,363.

Can the Queen ($18.40) gave trainer Joanne Shankle her first stakes win when she pushed past pacesetter Spicy Marg in the stretch for a 1 3/4-length win in the $100,000 Sensible Lady Turf Dash. Whispurring Kitten closed for second, a neck in front of third-place finisher Can’t Buy Love.

Shankle is 2 for 2 as a trainer, with her first win having come Sept. 18. She also is the owner of Can the Queen, a daughter of Can the Man who has now won 7 of 19 starts and earned $318,853. Can the Queen also won last year’s Sensible Lady.

Jean Alvelo rode Can the Queen on Saturday. She covered five-eighths on firm turf in 56.60 seconds.

“She had a lot in her and when I asked her, she gave me even more,” Alvelo said in a post-race interview broadcast by Pimlico.

Benevengo ($8) became a stakes winner in the $100,000 Polynesian when he darted home by 7 1/2 lengths over Double Crown. It was another half-length back in third to Rough Sea.

Benevengo faced older horses in the Polynesian, one start after running fifth in the Haskell at Monmouth Park. He set fractions of 23.64 for the opening quarter, 47 for the half-mile and 1:11.10 for six furlongs. Benevengo proceeded to win in hand, while covering 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.62.

“He liked being in the lead and he was comfortable doing it,” winning rider Angel Cruz said in an interview with Pimlico.

He was aboard for Wasabi Ventures Stables and trainer Jesus Cruz.

Benevengo is a son of Gormley who is now 4 for 6 with earnings of $155,600.

***Apprentice jockey Jeiron Barbosa won three races on the card, taking the first with Baton ($8.20), the second with Berks ($4) and the fifth with English Tavern ($6.60).

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