Circus Rings ends win drought with Pay the Man triumph
Circus Rings scored a repeat victory, but an outright one this time, in the $100,000 Pay the Man Stakes, outgaming divisional newcomer Sally Strong by a neck in a salty field of fillies and mares on Saturday at Thistledown.
The Pay the Man was one of five $100,000 statebred stakes run under the "Best of Ohio" banner on Saturday at Thistledown.
Circus Rings ($16.40), who is trained by Valerie Shanyfelt for Michael and Penny Lauer, posted her first win in more than 11 months, since she took the Michael G. Mackey Memorial Angenora Stakes last September at Thistledown. She crossed the line second by eight lengths to Moonlit Mission in last year's Pay the Man, but was awarded the victory when Moonlit Mission was disqualified to second for interference.
In Saturday's race, Circus Rings, with Hector Berrios in the irons, didn't let Totally Obsessed run freely on the lead, inching up to be just a head behind the leader through the moderate opening half of 49.60 seconds. She edged her way into the lead soon after, appearing to turn back Sally Strong and Market Success, who were also making bids for the lead. Through the final stages, Circus Rings had to dig in again to hold off a renewed bid from Sally Strong, crossing the line a neck ahead. She finished the 1 1/8 miles in 1:53.48 on the fast track.
Sally Strong, who had won her three prior starts this year, acquitted herself well in her stakes debut, finishing a length clear of Market Success for second. They were followed, in order, by favored Moonlit Mission, who found her best stride late, Ballroom Blitz, Here Comes Jigs, Grizabella, the fading Totally Obsessed, Drillit, Riproaring, and Cali Dream.
Sally Strong was not the only horse to announce herself with a strong stakes debut on the Best of Ohio card. Dougie D Oro ($9.80) was full of run in his stakes debut, winning the $75,000 Honey Jay Stakes for sprinters by 2 3/4 lengths over favored Nick Can Fix.
The gelding, who had Ricardo Feliciano in the irons for owner and trainer Jerry Sparks, is now six for eight lifetime, and has won all three outings this year.
The consistent Magna Man ($29.20) was allowed to go off at long odds in the $100,000 Governor's Buckeye Cup and sprang the upset under Chelsey Keiser, as the pair battled through the lane to edge two-time Best of Ohio Endurance winner Forewarned by a head.
Magna Man, trained by Ivan Vazquez for John Hoctel and Treadway Racing, has now won three times from five starts this season, and has not missed the board this year. This was his first stakes victory.
There were double-digit payouts in both of the juvenile races that started the card. Thedayofthegrey ($20) set a pressured pace under Sonny Leon and then shook off his challengers to win the $100,000 Cleveland Kindergarten by 1 3/4 lengths. Tantrum, part of a favored entry for trainer Tim Hamm and WinStar Farm, rallied for second.
Thedayofthegrey, who is trained and co-owned by Robert Cline, was a debut winner before finishing third in the Hoover Stakes.
One race later, Pacific Coast ($15.60) won the sister race, the $100,000 Miss Ohio, poking a head in front near the quarter pole and drawing clear with authority to win by 6 1/2 lengths. The Exaggerator filly, a debut winner last month at Thistledown for Hamm and WinStar, had been a non-threatening seventh in the Tah Day Stakes just eight days later.