Cheetara holds off Charlie's Penny in Crestwood Stakes
The Frenchman rode the Chilean-bred mare to victory for the Argentine-born trainer on Saturday in Stickney, Illinois, as Cheetara captured the $75,000 Crestwood Stakes at Hawthorne.
Cheetara turned away a midstretch challenge from long-layoff comeback runner Charlie’s Penny and won the 6 1/2-furlong Crestwood by about 2 3/4 lengths, clocking 1:16.79 over a fast dirt track. Vincent Cheminaud, who rode in France until this year, gave Cheetara a textbook trip, continuing to reward the faith trainer Ignacior Correas has in him. Cheminaud, who ought to be getting better business, now has ridden five winners during 2022, four for Correas.
Music City Star set off for the Crestwood lead as Cheminaud, taking advantage of his outside draw in post 10, eased Cheetara forward to get into a pressing position two paths off the fence before the turn. The quarter went in 22.61, the half in 45.60, and Cheetara bested her pace rival and braced for a new challenge.
Charlie’s Penny, unraced due to a couple of injuries since January 2021, broke from post 3 but somehow managed to wind up four paths wide around the turn, moving sharply into contention and engaging Cheetara past the three-sixteenths pole. But the combination of ground loss and the long layoff caught up to Charlie’s Penny in the final furlong, and even after belatedly changing leads she faded late while still comfortably holding second. Sharp Hero nabbed third while Cheetara returned a fair $7.20 to win as the favorite.
Five-year-old Cheetara now has won seven of 17 career starts, the first five of them in her native Chile. She’s by Daddy Long Legs, who was pulled up in the 2012 Kentucky Derby after shipping from Dubai, and out of Frescura Total, by Thunder Gulch, winner of the 1995 Kentucky Derby.