Doctor Mounty upsets Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup

Yes, of course jockey Forest Boyce was watching where she was going. But as she rode Doctor Mounty into the far turn of the Grade 3, $200,000 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup on Saturday at Laurel Park, Boyce tried to keep other things within her field of vision.

“There were a couple horses I was keeping my eye on and I wanted to make sure I got the jump on them,” said Boyce.

Surely Boyce was referring principally to odds-on favorite Projected, and as she saw Projected wander up into a jackpot along the rail past the three-furlong pole, Boyce told Doctor Mounty to go. Moving early to the lead, Doctor Mounty had just enough to last by a nose over Projected, who struggled to find a clear path under Joe Bravo. Projected shook loose of Dalarna past the quarter pole, but was forced to alter course and try to rally inside when Doctor Mounty drifted out, and in the end just couldn’t sufficiently quicken over a yielding, dead turf course.

“I turned to Joe and asked him [who had won] and he said, ‘No, you definitely won,’” said Boyce. “The ground was pretty soft. I think he was getting tired at that point.”

Doctor Mounty’s win margin was a desperate nose as Irish Strait finished third, 1 1/4 lengths behind the top pair. It took Doctor Mounty 1:41.78 to cover one mile and just over 13 seconds to get his final furlong, but that was fast enough. Doctor Mounty had only a last-start flop at Euro-style Kentucky Downs sullying his otherwise competitive form, yet somehow paid $54.60 to win. Boyce rode the 5-year-old son of Street Sense and On a Roll, by A.P. Indy, for trainer Shug McGaughey and owners Larry Pratt and Dave Alden.

Doctor Mounty’s sixth win from 22 starts was his first in a stakes race of any kind. Given his high-end pedigree, that could eventually help him stand as a regional stallion – in great part thanks to Boyce getting the jump.