Fast and Accurate looks ready for first local win in Leematt Stakes

Graded stakes winner Fast and Accurate typically looms large when he returns to his home state to run against Pennsylvania-breds. However, he’ll be looking for his first win at Presque Isle Downs when he starts in the track’s $100,000 Leematt Stakes on Sunday night. The race is one of two $100,000 events for statebreds on the card, joining the Northern Fling for fillies and mares.

Fast and Accurate, a 5-year-old Hansen horse who Mike Maker trains for Skychai Racing, Kendall Hansen, and Sand Dollar Stable, has two seconds from three starts at Presque Isle. That includes a runner-up effort in last year’s Leematt, when he was beaten three-quarters of a length by Beyond Smart, who returns to defend his victory Sunday.

Fast and Accurate comes into this year’s edition of the race off a 5 1/2-length win over Beyond Smart in the Robellino Stakes for statebreds on June 9 at Penn National. That win came under Tyler Conner, who retains the mount Sunday. The Robellino was the fifth stakes win for Fast and Accurate, whose career is highlighted by a victory in the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes in 2017 at Turfway Park.

Beyond Smart drew the rail with Scott Spieth in the irons for trainer and co-owner Tim Girten. The multiple stakes winner has won 6 of his 11 starts at Presque Isle.

The veteran Jaguar Poz, trained by Ron Potts Jr. for owner and breeder James Hess, is coming off a pair of solid efforts in optional-claiming races at Presque Isle. He was second by a head on May 21, then won his most recent outing, on June 10, by a neck. Both those wins came under Huber Villa-Gomez, who stays aboard. While Jaguar Poz is looking for his first stakes win, he is multiple stakes-placed against open company. He was second by a half-length to Pay Any Price in the Turf Dash in December 2017 at Tampa Bay, and later moved to dirt to finish second to X Y Jet in the 2018 Pelican Stakes at Tampa.

Two races prior to the Leematt is the Northern Fling, and Imply, who finished third in last year’s edition, now looks to win her third straight race. The mare, who is trained by Bernard Houghton, won an optional-claiming race by 1 3/4 lengths on May 21 at Presque Isle. She then scored a repeat win in the Lyphard Stakes on June 9 at Penn National. She was flattered when runner-up Wildcat Cartridge, whom she defeated by 3 3/4 lengths, subsequently won a starter handicap at Laurel. Julio Hernandez will be aboard Imply on Sunday.

Darcy Mae, who will have Pablo Morales in the tack, also is looking to continue a winning streak. The mare was purchased for $17,000 by trainer Leland Hayes out of the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale. She has won both her starts for him, taking allowance races at Presque Isle on May 14 and June 6.