El Terreno takes Blue Sparkler; Spaliday notches Boiling Spring

El Terreno broke running and never looked back in winning the $100,000 Blue Sparkler Stakes by two lengths Saturday at Monmouth Park.

Earlier on the card, Spaliday finished full of run in winning the $100,000 Boiling Spring, which was scheduled for June 30, failed to fill, and was brought back for Saturday’s card.

Both turf races were for 3-year-old fillies, the Blue Sparkler over 5 1/2 furlongs, the Boiling Spring at 1 1/16 miles.

Trained in New York by Christophe Clement, El Terreno ($8.40) knows only one way to run. She went wire to wire winning her first two starts, both on synthetic surfaces, then caved and was eased after setting the early pace in her stakes debut, a synthetic race at Gulfstream in March.

El Terreno held better but was only fifth in her turf debut, the Stormy Blues last month at Laurel, before coming home much the best at Monmouth.

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Under Jairo Rendo, El Terreno set splits of 21.96 and 44.28 over a firm course, taking a three-length lead to the stretch call and holding firm to the wire, clocking 1:03.11. Bred and owned by Castleton-Lyons, El Terreno is a daughter of Speightstown and the Malibu Moon mare Palma.

Spaliday has a more glamorous pedigree, the second foal to race and first stakes winner for the mare Dayatthespa, champion female turf horse of 2014, when she won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Chad Brown trained Dayatthespa and trains Spaliday, a More Than Ready filly who debuted in February and has shown steady improvement.

Spaliday hit a peak Saturday in her fifth start. Settled last of six under Samy Camacho, Spaliday always was travelling like a winner, and when Camacho stoked her up at the quarter pole for an outside move, Spaliday let loose an excellent turn of foot that carried her past pacesetting Madame Mischief and on to victory.

Madame Mischief held well for second, well clear of the Brown-trained Lady de Berry. Spaliday, second choice by $125 behind fifth-place finisher Brocknardini, paid $5.80 and was timed in 1:41.44.

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