Got Stormy has second stakes win in row with Wild Applause

Got Stormy wasn’t perfect in the stretch of Saturday’s $100,000 Wild Applause at Belmont Park, switching leads after hitting the front. But as the lone stakes winner in the five-horse field, she didn’t need to be.

Taking command from early pacesetter Lady Suebee coming into the stretch, after that one set splits of 24.59 seconds, 48.91, 1:12.30 in the one-mile Wild Applause, her apparent loss of focus did not seem to matter against her outclassed rivals. She maintained a steady advantage under a hand ride from John Velazquez down the lane, crossing the wire two lengths in front over Punked, who edged Brattata by a half-length for the place.

“I tried to get her to relax and finish down the lane and that's what she did,” Velazquez said. “She finished up very good. Very impressive. She was explosive down the lane.”

Ferdinanda ran fourth, while Lady Suebee weakened to be last of five.

The Wild Applause marked the second consecutive stakes victory for Got Stormy ($5.40), who won the Penn Oaks on June 2. Both wins came on grass at a mile, her preferred distance.

Trainer Mark Casse trained the winner, a 3-year-old daughter of Get Stormy, for owner Gary Barber, who had bought her privately after her second start at Gulfstream Park this winter. In taking the Wild Applause, she raced a mile on a firm turf course in 1:34.93.