Filly Luna West speeds away from the boys to win first juvenile race

HALLANDLAE BEACH, Fla. – Luna West, a 2-year-old filly by Gone Astray, won the first baby race of the spring meet here Thursday, beating the boys in wire-to-wire fashion under Joe Alonso.

Despite coming into the race showing just two 38-second three-furlong works at the Nelson Jones Farm and Training Center in Ocala, Fla., Luna West opened five lengths on the field in the blink of an eye and posted a 21.55 opening quarter en route to a 53.25 final clocking for the 4 1/2-furlong dash. Luna West was shortening stride nearing the wire, but had built up enough of a lead to hold safe the mild closing bid of Cajun’s Hope, the 4-5 favorite, who finished well clear of the others.

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Luna West was saddled by trainer Jose Garoffalo. Owned by Lina Yanet Aristizabal Lopez, she went postward at odds of 37-1, in part due to the slow works coming into the race.

Garoffalo said he’s had the horse in his barn here for two weeks prior to the race and had entered her in the first 2-year-old race in the book, which did not fill, one week earlier.

“She’s always shown maturity since the beginning,” Garoffalo said.

Other highlights of the spring meet’s opening-day program on Thursday include Discreet Tune’s victory in the afternoon’s main event and a hat trick by jockey Paco Lopez.

Lopez is returning full time for the first time since sitting out a 30-day suspension meted out by the stewards for his ride aboard runner-up In Due Time in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 5.

Discreet Tune rallied from just off the pace to a 2 1/4-length decision over longshot Ruse, who rallied to nip the 2-5 High Front for second. Discreet Tune, who entered the optional-claiming and allowance dash on turf with four victories, was ridden to victory by Junior Alvarado, a mainstay in New York for the past decade who has decided to move his tack locally this year. Alvarado finished sixth in the standings with 49 victories during the recently concluded Championship meet.

High Front, a 6 1/2-length wire-to-wire winner of his only previous start, was fractious going into the gate, broke a step slowly, then was jostled by a rival to his inside and dropped off the early leaders. High Front, the only 3-year-old in the field and facing older horses for the first time, put in a solid run under jockey Luis Saez upon recovering to reach close contention in early stretch, but could not sustain the rally.

◗ Trainer Joe Orseno said his graded stakes-winning turf specialist Imprimis will spend the rest of his days at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Lexington, Ky.

“He’ll be leaving for Kentucky from Ocala later this week,” Orseno said Thursday. “We probably could have brought him back to run again this year. We would have liked to have gotten him over the $1 million mark in earnings, but the risk vs. reward just was not worth it, and, fortunately, he’s owned by people like Breeze Easy, which helped make the decision to retire him and find a good home a no-brainer.

“I saw him in the paddock recently in Ocala and he looked fantastic, so it’s nothing but good news to report all around.”