Chief Istan collects first stakes win in Challedon
Chief Istan, whose only two losses came when he tried stakes company this summer at Monmouth and Delaware, finally gained his elusive first stakes victory when he scored in the slop Saturday at Laurel Park.
Based at Delaware Park with trainer Larry Jones, the 4-year-old Chief Istan ($6) overtook pacesetter Big Guy Ian in the stretch and despite switching leads four times inside the eighth pole managed to win the $75,000 Challedon Stakes by three-quarters of a length.
Racing beyond six furlongs for the first time, Chief Istan, a son of Istan owned by Sagamore Farm and Brereton Jones, completed seven furlongs under Gabriel Saez on a sloppy, sealed track in 1:23.62 for his fifth win in seven outings.
"When Larry Jones sends something out here they are completely ready,” Saez said. “It was a no-brainer. There were a few horses with speed so I got him to relax going down the backside and followed along when the horses turned for home and he got the job done. First time past three-quarters, it seemed like he handled it really well. I just had to get him to relax and make sure he finished up running, and it worked out well.”
In his first two stakes tries, Chief Istan was sixth of seven in the Mr. Prospector at Monmouth and fifth of six in the Hockessin at Delaware.
Rockinn On Bye, seeking to snap an eight-race losing streak, rallied from third in the stretch to threaten Chief Istan, but came up a bit short. New York shipper Big Guy Ian, 2 for 2 at Laurel in 2015, weakened to finish third, 1 1/4 lengths behind the runner-up.
Lovable Lady goes from turf to dirt in Politely
Lovable Lady, displaying her versatility after winning the first stakes of her career in a turf sprint in August, proved equally adept racing over a sloppy, sealed main track at Laurel Park, winning the $75,000 Politely Stakes for Maryland-bred or Maryland-sired fillies and mares.
Ridden by Horatio Karamanos, the 5-year-old Lovable Lady ($5) overtook 52-1 longshot Deliver Me in deep stretch to win the six-furlong Politely by a length. She completed the distance in 1:11.23 for her sixth win in 14 starts lifetime. She is 4 for 8 on Laurel’s main track.
“I just waited for the moment and on the middle of the turn I knew I was in a good spot because I had room to swing out and do whatever I want to do," Karamanos said. "I hit her a couple of times in the stretch and she passed nice and comfortable.”
Deliver Me, 0 for 13 lifetime on dirt, had to settle for second, 2 1/4 lengths in front of Candida H.
A daughter of Not For Love trained by Mary Eppler for the Samuel H. Rogers Jr. Trust, Lovable Lady will be pointed to the Maryland Million Distaff, a seven-furlong race on Oct. 22.