Duff, Miss Bullistic take South Carolina residency stakes
A pair of horses with no previous success on dirt swept both stakes for 2-year-olds who spent 90 days or more in South Carolina on Sunday at Parx Racing.
Duff, a 9-1 outsider whose previous two wins came on Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs, scored a narrow victory over the Maryland-based maiden Stonebriar in the $75,000 Christopher Elser Memorial Stakes for colts and geldings.
Miss Bullistic, who was 2 for 2 on turf but never better than fourth in three previous tries on dirt, came from sixth in the final eighth of a mile to prevail in a four-horse photo in the $75,000 Donna Freyer Stakes for fillies.
Duff ($20.60), ridden for the first time by Daniel Centeno, had only one previous race on dirt, a third-place finish in the Mountaineer Juvenile in early August. He was 2 for 4 on synthetics, including a win in a stakes restricted to Pennsylvania-breds. He outfought Stonebriar in a stretch duel to get up by a head, covering 6 1/2 furlongs on a fast track was 1:19.25. Duff is trained by Ron Potts for The Elkstone Group.
Stonebriar, a first-time gelding coming off a third-place finish in the Maryland Million Nursery, was a clear second. Nasa , the 2-5 favorite on the basis of his fast maiden win at Laurel Park in September, rallied from fifth to nose out Mini Cosmo for third.
Miss Bullistic, based in Maryland, had won the Selima Stakes at Laurel as part of her perfect record on grass. Ridden for the first time by Jevian Toledo, Miss Bullistic ($10.20) launched a late, wide rally in the final furlong of the 6 1/2-furlong Freyer to nose out second-time starter Mondor. Pattitude, a maiden shipping in from Kentucky, was a nose behind the runner-up and a head in front of 70-1 outsider Lust for Diamonds. Kawfee Far Mara never threatened and finished seventh as the 3-2 favorite.
Trained by Hamilton Smith for owner Kathleen Willner, Miss Bullistic covered the distance in 1:20.26 for her first win in four tries on dirt. She spent the early part of her life at Franklin Smith Sr.'s Elloree Training Center in South Carolina.