Horizon Stakes 1-2-3 hit the turf in pair of stakes
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The hard-knocking Ohio-bred filly Parlay turned in another fine effort against males last time out, finishing third behind Ronnis Second Wind and Just Like Rambo in the Horizon Stakes. Their paths diverge Friday, as Parlay goes back to turf to face her own gender and the two geldings face older runners in the co-features at Belterra Park.
Parlay, who races for leading Ohio trainer and breeder Tim Hamm, is the favorite in the $75,000 Tomboy Stakes for Ohio-bred 3-year-old fillies on the turf. In her lone prior start on turf – Belterra is the only one of Ohio’s three Thoroughbred tracks with a grass course – she was a front-running 4 1/4-length winner of the Cincinnatian Stakes at this 1 1/16-mile distance, rounding back into her best form in her third start of the year.
The Cincinnatian was her third career stakes score. Last year, she won the Emerald Necklace and Glacial Princess, and, in addition to finishing second in the Best of Ohio John Galbreath Memorial against fillies, was second to males in both the Loyalty and Joshua Radosevich Memorial. In the Horizon, which was taken off the turf, Parlay finished third, beaten a total of 4 1/2 lengths after pressing the pace.
Lo Bug is trying turf for the first time but has proven to be strong enough around two turns that she is the second choice on the morning line for trainer Richard Zielinski. The filly crossed the finish line first in the 1 1/16-mile Best of Ohio Queen City Oaks, a race in which Parlay was sixth, but was disqualified and placed fourth for interference. She then faced males in the Daniel Stearns Cleveland Gold Cup at 1 1/8 miles and was third behind two quality runners, Superwolf and Fortissimo.
Later in the card, Ronnis Second Wind and Just Like Rambo get their rematch in the $75,000 Buckeye Native Stakes for Ohio-bred 3-year-olds and up. Ronnis Second Wind was well-beaten in his four stakes outings last year but appears to have hit his stride this summer after a freshening, and he’s now won back-to-back races for Robert Cline. He took an allowance by 12 1/2 lengths on the lead, then showed a different dimension by stalking to win the Horizon by 4 1/4 lengths.
Just Like Rambo bested Parlay in the Loyalty last year and won the Best of Ohio Green Carpet on turf this year for Larry Smith. He was pressed by Parlay early in the Horizon before holding for second.
Just Like Rambo could get company on the front end from Ohio-bred champion Villian and stakes-winning mare Factisimflashy. Multiple stakes winner Villian’s consistency has made him the morning-line favorite for Hamm as he tries to rebound from an uncharacteristic 11th in the Best of Ohio Governor’s Buckeye Cup.
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