Haughty returns with dominant Penn Oaks victory
Haughty, third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, made a successful seasonal debut Friday in Penn National’s $150,000 Penn Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at one mile.
The Penn Oaks was one of six stakes on the stacked Penn Mile card.
A daughter of Empire Maker, Haughty settled into a pace-tracking, ground-saving position as 64-1 longshot Irie Empress set fractions of 24.80 seconds and 51.72 over the soft turf course while shadowed by Alittleloveandluck.
Jockey Flavien Prat made a decisive move to split the two pace protagonists after six furlongs in 1:17.44 and kept Haughty well off the inside turning into the stretch. Irie Empress was game, but Haughty was always well within herself. She completed the distance in 1:44.43 in ridden-out fashion and returned $2.80 as the prohibitive favorite.
Irie Empress was 4 3/4 lengths behind in second. It was another 2 1/2 lengths back to Belacqua in third. Then came Alittleloveandluck and Customer List. Morning Matcha scratched.
Haughty finished first in her career debut, a one-mile maiden special weight Sept. 17 at Belmont but was disqualified and placed third. She returned 30 days later to win a maiden special weight Oct. 17 at Keeneland, then was forced to wheel back on only 19 days’ rest for the Breeders’ Cup.
Sent away at 6-1 that day, she made a four-wide bid turning for home and was beaten three-quarters of a length by the winner, Pizza Bianca.
“I always thought she was one of the main contenders for the Juvenile Fillies Turf before I ran her, but the thing that hurt me was the short rest,” Brown said Tuesday morning. “I was playing catch-up after the disqualification first-time out, and it really set me back.”
Haughty had a minor illness that forced her to miss a scheduled start earlier this year but looked sharp in the Penn Oaks.
A half-sister to multiple stakes winner Souper Colossal, Haughty was bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Thoroughbreds and is owned by Bradley Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Team Hanley, and Tim and Anne Cambron. She will presumably join Brown’s armada of stakes-caliber turf fillies and mares in New York.
Lyphard Stakes
Maldives Model earned the first stakes victory of her career when she skipped gate to wire in the $100,000 Lyphard for Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
Piloted by Penn National's leading rider, Tyler Conner, Maldives Model broke well and set rated fractions of 24.26 and 49.45 while facing only token pressure from Funwhileitlasted.
Maldives Model sprinted for home after a six-furlong clocking in 1:15.09 and fended off odds-on favorite Love in the Air's late challenge.
Love in the Air bobbled at the start, recovered to sit a pocket trip, angled inside the winner in midstretch, and fell 1 1/2 lengths short. It was 16 3/4 lengths back to Wildcat Cartridge in third as several horses struggled with the soft going. They were followed by Eight Danzas, Trolley Ride, Funwhileitlasted, Ninetypercentbrynn, and Witch.
Maldives Model completed the distance in 1:48.40 and returned $23.20 as the fourth choice in the wagering.
Bred by Arrowwood Farm, Maldives Model is a 4-year-old daughter of Petionville trained by Erin McClellan for owner Tom Coulter.
Stakes-placed on both synthetic and turf in 2021, Maldives Model made her seasonal debut in an off-turf allowance race for statebreds on May 7 at Penn National. She finished last of six, beaten 33 1/2 lengths, but obviously relished Friday's return to turf.
Maldives Model has won 3 of 13 starts for lifetime earnings of $165,784.
With Anticipation Stakes
Odds-on favorite Buy Land and See was too classy for them in the $100,000 With Anticipation for Pennsylvania-breds at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
Ridden by Flavien Prat for trainer Tony Dutrow, Buy Land and See went straight to the lead and was immediately confronted by 77-1 longshot Papal Law. Those two sparred through solid fractions of 23.67 and 47.78 over the soft course before Buy Land and See disdainfully dispatched his primary pace pursuer midway on the backstretch.
From there, it was all Buy Land or See who kept on chugging to score by 6 3/4 lengths over rail-skimming Lacco Ameno. You Must Chill was 4 3/4 lengths back in third, then came Irish Cork, Wait for It, Missin the Big Dog, and Prince of Rain. Papal Law was eased. Broad Street Bully scratched.
Buy Land and See ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:50.00 and returned $2.80 to win.
The winner of the open Awad Stakes for 2-year-olds in 2019, Buy Land and See’s career has been interrupted several times by layoffs, but trainer Tony Dutrow appears to have the gray son of Cairo Prince in peak health. In his three previous starts in 2022, Buy Land and See finished second in second-level allowance races with $62,500 claiming options in New York.
A homebred owned by Joseph Imbesi, Buy Land and See won for the first time since a restricted allowance at Parx Racing during the summer of 2020. He has captured 4 of 13 starts for earnings of $280,320.
Danzig Stakes
Conner won his third stakes on Friday’s Penn Mile card as he patiently guided Nimitz Class to a late-running victory in the $100,000 Danzig for 3-year-old Pennsylvania-breds at six furlongs on fast dirt.
Trained by Bruce Kravets for owner Tom Coulter, Nimitz Class raced four wide in midpack as Concrete Glory and Center Mid Maddie blazed the trail through an opening quarter of 21.30.
Center Mid Maddie emerged from the pace battle with the lead after a half-mile in 44.11, but Conner had already made the winning move by dropping in to save a bit of ground on the turn.
A leg-weary Center Mid Maddie pleaded for the wire inside the eighth pole while Nimitz Class split rivals to emerge outside of the leader. Nimitz Class forged to the front and had a better late kick than rail-rallying Uncle Buddy. At the wire, it was Nimitz Class by three-quarters of a length over favored Uncle Buddy in 1:09.82. They were followed by Center Mid Maddie, Bourbon Music, Allevare, Concrete Glory, Fed Chair, Talented Man, Jean Valjean, and Downtowncharlybrown
Nimitz Class returned $10.40 to win as the second choice in the wagering. A Munnings full brother to multiple stakes winner Kaylasaurus, Nimitz Class was bred by Arrowwood Farm Inc. He has won his last three starts, four of his last five appearances, and now sports a record of four wins from six starts for lifetime earnings of $118,938.
New Start Stakes
Bazinga C made it four wins in a row after a four-wide sweep to command in the $100,000 New Start Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs.
Trained by Tim Kreiser for Joe Besecker, Bazinga C settled at the back of the pack as Golden Tabby and New Hire pushed fractions of 22.46 and 45.20. Jockey Horacio Karamanos asked for more on the turn, and Bazinga C responded widest and fastest to post a 1 3/4-length victory over Golden Tabby. New Hire was another half-length behind in third. You Look Cold and Advocate Harbor came next. Moonboots scratched.
Bazinga C raced six furlongs in 1:09.18 and paid $4.80 as the betting favorite.
A daughter of Exaggerator bred by Besecker and Exaggerator Syndicate, Bazinga C began her current winning streak with an entry-level allowance victory at a mile and 70 yards on Feb. 18 at Penn National.
She cut back successfully to seven furlongs over muddy going March 25 at Laurel when entered for a $62,500 claiming option, then won by 1 1/4 lengths when stretched out to 1 1/16 miles on April 29. Bazinga C also was entered for the claiming $62,500 option in the most recent race.
Stakes-placed at 2, Bazinga C has won 5 of 9 starts for earnings of $188,056.