I Feel Lucky wins Hickory Tree; Cyber Spy takes Keswick Stakes
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I Feel Lucky went last to first to win the $100,000 Hickory Tree Stakes on Sunday at Colonial Downs. The juvenile gelding, who entered his second start as a maiden with no dirt experience, unleashed a scorching rally from well back in the stretch, leaving jockey Rajiv Maragh with the unenviable task of hanging on.
“I just wanted him to get into a good rhythm, not rush him off his feet,” Maragh said. “That's how we ended up a little farther back than we expected to, but the good thing is he showed the run that we were hoping he had.”
Trained, owned, and bred by Mary Lightner, I Feel Lucky was still green on Sunday, drifting in and out while flying home to win by 3 3/4 lengths. It was a sign of his inexperience, but also a potential source of excitement, as there is still obvious room for improvement with the precocious closer.
“He’s still green, still green, and I didn't know how he would take this start with the mud today coming in his face,” Lightner said. “I think it took him by surprise at first, but then, it's like everything else with him.
"Once he learns something once, he goes on through it, and that was what he did today.”
Ned Allard, trainer of runner-up Midnight Ride, went to the winner’s circle after the race to contact the stewards, claiming I Feel Lucky impeded his gelding while blowing past. I Feel Lucky certainly crossed several paths in a green stretch run, but stewards did not deem the action worthy of an inquiry.
The 5 1/2-furlong sprint on a muddy, sealed track was essentially a race in two parts, as many of the prominent runners early in the race did not factor in the final result. The 2-1 favorite Fission and Prince of Peace dueled through an opening quarter-mile in 22.43 seconds and half-mile in 45.56, but neither runner finished in the money.
At the top of the stretch, Midnight Ride had the first chance to tackle the top pair and was cutting into Prince of Peace’s advantage. Remembertheword, a 23-1 longshot trained by Jose Corrales, was just behind and driving, and it seemed like those three would decide the race.
Then, after swinging eight wide into the stretch with a move from last, I Feel Lucky came careening into contention. At one point, he was almost certainly closer to the outer rail as he rocketed forward. On his way past, he drifted in and intimidated Midnight Ride, forcing Midnight Ride behind Prince of Peace, who also had to correct course slightly with his outside rival bearing down.
In a closer race, that action might have at least been worth a look from stewards, but I Feel Lucky pulled away and proved much the best at the wire. He completed the 5 1/2-furlong distance in 1:04.28 and paid $14.20 to win.
“He's a 2-year-old and he has the talent, so you expect so much of the horse,” Maragh said. “But in reality, he has a lot of room to improve and grow, because he's pretty unrefined. He’s running good on natural ability, but he still has some things to figure out.”
Midnight Ride, who re-rallied for second, finished a neck ahead of Remembertheword, who was third over Prince of Peace by the same margin.
Lightner, who is mainly based in Florida, won the 2024 edition of the Hickory Tree with Candycrumbs, who was also a maiden making his second start. The trainer has routinely shipped horses to Virginia in the summer, taking advantage of Colonial’s state-restricted program.
“I love the Virginia program,” Lightner said. “I live in Florida and Gulfstream’s my home track. But in the summertime, I appreciate the Virginia breeding program.”
If all goes well, Lightner said, I Feel Lucky will run at Colonial again before the track closes in early September.
Keswick Stakes
Cyber Spy, a last-out maiden winner trained by Mark Casse, never looked back in the $100,000 Keswick Stakes on Sunday, kicking clear in the early going and holding on to win by 1 1/4 lengths. The juvenile filly has never trailed, winning back-to-back starts at Colonial under jockey Sonny Leon.
“She’s that kind of filly,” Leon said. “She’s got talent and she’s breaking good. I was a little concerned because it was five and a half today, but she exploded out of the gate.”
A head-on view of the Keswick would render seven juvenile fillies as little more than a backdrop for Cyber Spy, who was already a length clear through an opening quarter-mile in 22.26. The sealed, muddy track made little difference to the front-runner, who won her debut on a fast track nine days ago.
Leon was confident aboard the leader and let her loose around the far turn of the 5 1/2-furlong sprint. She was clear by three lengths at the top of the stretch, and though 30-1 longshot Mountain Mamba made a late move for second, she never seriously threatened the winner. Cyber Spy wrapped up the 5 1/2-furlong sprint in 1:04.34 and paid $6 to win.
Mountain Mamba, a three-race maiden trained by Jose Corrales, seemed to benefit from the wet track at long odds. She pulled 2 1/2 lengths clear of For the Money, a first-time starter who went off as the 7-5 favorite for trainer Rohan Crichton.
The Keswick was Leon’s second stakes victory of the Colonial meet, another strong result for the jockey in the midst of his first campaign at the track. He has won 16 of 86 starts, putting him fourth in the jockey standings, and earned $935,000 in purse money.
“It’s beautiful,” Leon said. “That’s such a nice thing for me to be riding for a guy like Mark Casse, so successful in this business. He gives me these opportunities.”
Leon’s connection with Casse has significantly bolstered his prospects in Virginia, as he and the trainer have connected for seven victories in 32 starts at Colonial this summer. Cyber Spy is yet another key mount for the 36-year-old rider.
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