Corningstone makes it back-to-back Mistletoe wins for McPeek, Leparoux

Trainer Kenny McPeek and jockey Julien Leparoux won the $150,000 Mistletoe Stakes for the second year in a row Saturday at Oaklawn Park, when Corningstone splashed to a 4 1/4-length win over 4-5 favorite Taxed. It was another 2 1/2 lengths back in third to Bow Draw.

Last year, McPeek and Leparoux won the Mistletoe with Butterbean. The one-mile race is for fillies and mares and ended at the sixteenth pole over a muddy track was sealed.

Corningstone ($6.80) broke well and settled in fourth as Stellar Lily moved up to set the pace after stumbling badly at the start. The leader put up fractions of 23.42 seconds for the opening quarter and 47.89 for the half-mile as Taxed moved to challenge and Corningstone followed suit.

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Taxed came away with the lead on the final turn but Corningstone drew even with that one approaching the quarter pole. From there, the eventual winner went on to cover the distance in 1:38.97.

“Today I wanted to be close enough to the pace so I didn’t have too much to do,” Leparoux said in a post-race interview broadcast by Oaklawn.

Corningstone was winning the fourth stakes race of her career. She has now compiled a career record of seven wins from 22 starts for earnings of $670,818. She is a daughter of Kantharos and she races for Payson Stud.

Racing resumes Sunday.

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