Fair Grounds: Artist Cry rallies from last to win Sarah Lane’s Oates Stakes
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
Artist Cry finished a well-beaten sixth against $25,000 Louisiana-bred maiden claimers sprinting on dirt in her career debut Dec. 1, but she has found a home on the Fair Grounds grass course and won her third straight race there with a last-to-first rally in the $60,000 Sarah Lane’s Oates Stakes on Saturday.
Artist Cry, under James Graham, was last of 10, almost 14 lengths behind the lead horse, after a half-mile in the Sarah Lane’s Oates. She began moving up while racing inside on the far turn and found her best stride after Graham wheeled her out for the stretch run. Finishing strongly while nearer the outer rail than the inside fence, Artist Cry mowed down P T’s Jewel and Tedious in the final furlong to win by 1 1/2 lengths going away. She was timed in 1:42.31 for about one mile on a yielding course and paid $5.60 to win. Trainer Wes Hawley swept the exacta with P T’s Jewel in second, while Tedious held third.
Hawley co-owns Artist Cry, a daughter of Clever Cry, with her co-breeder, Danny Brown. Following her debut loss, Artist Cry won a $25,000 maiden claimer on turf and a Louisiana-bred first-level allowance, and her form came to a timely peak Saturday in the Sarah Lane’s Oates.
In the $60,000 Gentilly, the companion race to the Sarah Lane’s Oates, B and B’s Pulpit scored the first win of his career while making his grass debut. Trained by Merrill Scherer, who co-owns the Brahms gelding with Dan Lynch, B and B’s Pulpit had lost five maiden races before trying a grass race for the first time in the Gentilly.
Under Brian Hernandez Jr., B and B’s Pulpit raced near the back of an eight-horse field in the early going, made a move coming into the homestretch, took the lead in the final furlong, and gamely held clear an inside bid from favored Youve Got A Friend to win by a nose. It was another 1 1/4 lengths back to longshot Brother Maxwell in third, while pacesetting second-choice Mypalcharliebrown faded to sixth.
B and B’s Pulpit was timed in 1:43.34 for about one mile on a yielding turf course, and he paid $14.40 to win.