Jockey Victor Carrasco rode Ivy Girl into the first turn of the $150,000 Weber City Miss Stakes at Laurel Park on Saturday and felt like he was halfway to nowhere. The 25-1 longshot was 10 1/2 lengths back after a quarter-mile and well out of touch with the field, but trainer Amelia Green instructed him to never give up on the filly. “The plan of the race was very simple,” Carrasco said. “You have to ride her every step of the way. If you quit, she’ll quit too. So you guys could see that coming into the first turn, I was like a sixteenth of a mile trailing in the field. And I'm getting into her, getting after her, and I just don't feel like she's really making any progress.” Eventually, Carrasco managed to kick her into gear and, after picking off a few horses on the far turn, Green remained hopeful that the 3-year-old filly could get up for third. After shipping her from Belmont in her two prior starts, including a win in the $75,000 Main Line at Parx Racing, it would have marked another successful trip to the Mid-Atlantic. But in an instant, an improbable shot at another stakes victory suddenly became inevitable, as the New York shipper unleashed a relentless final rally and swept by Kentucky-based filly A.P.’s Girl for an eye-catching half-length victory. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “I knew she'd turn up today,” Green said. “Did I think we'd win? I knew she had to run the race of her life to win. I think she did that today.” By winning the Weber City Miss, Ivy Girl earned an automatic berth in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Laurel next month, much to the delight of Lucky Hat Racing owner Joe Veasey, who repeatedly yelled “We’re going to the Black-Eyed Susan!” while waiting for his photo in the winner’s circle. Green, offering a more measured assessment, confirmed the filly will point to that race if all goes well. While Ivy Girl loped along at the back in the early going, several contenders managed to settle into preferable closing positions. Todd Pletcher-trained filly Wiretapped took an uncontested early lead through a quarter-mile in 23.40 seconds, while 6-5 favorite Jumping the Gun, 8-5 second choice A.P.’s Girl, and last-out stakes winner Miss Fulton Gal all settled near the back before advancing. Wiretapped maintained command through a half-mile in 48.10, but Jumping the Gun was the first to make a move for the lead on the far turn. With a confident ride under Julio Hernandez, the Andy Simoff-trained favorite traveled wide around both turns in the 1 1/16-mile race and still managed to push ahead late, but she could not sustain her bid off a four-month layoff. In her stakes debut for trainer Peter Eurton, A.P.’s Girl and jockey James Graham easily picked off Jumping the Gun turning for home, and with no clear challengers behind, she looked like a sure winner in midstretch. Ivy Girl’s late-running style had been enough to upset the Main Line at Parx last month, but with Kentucky-based filly A.P.’s Girl surging ahead in the Weber City Miss, a repeat stakes victory at long odds seemed unlikely. The longshot was lost in the shuffle until she wasn’t, slipping between horses on the turn and gobbling up ground down the center in the stretch. She left no doubt in the late-charging upset, paying $55.40 to win and completing the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:48.22. For Carrasco, who spent his winter at Turfway Park, returning to Laurel and striking in one of the track’s premier races felt like a grand homecoming. “I've been here my whole life,” Carrasco said. “You can tell that I know pretty much everybody. This is like home for me. I've been here for 13 years, and this past winter, I decided to give myself a chance somewhere else. But it's nice to see all of you guys back here and even better when I get a chance to win.” A.P.’s Girl easily held second for Eurton, finishing 4 1/2 lengths ahead of Jumping the Gun. The fatigued favorite won a photo for third over Miss Fulton Gal, who lacked a rally for trainer Mike Gorham. A 10-1 winner in the Main Line last time out, Ivy Girl has twice gone overlooked by bettors in stakes competition. It is unlikely she earns favoritism in Grade 2 company next time out either, but at the very least, those placing a wager would be wise to give her a second look. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.