Jockey Davis sweeps Lady Finger and Aspirant stakes
Jockey Dylan Davis swept the two New York-bred stakes Saturday at Finger Lakes, but had to work much harder to win the $120,950 Aspirant Stakes with Pat On the Back than the $116,775 Lady Finger Stakes aboard Ribbonite.
Ribbonite went straight to the front and never looked back, running away to a 6 3/4-length win, but Pat On the Back got up only in the last jump, winning by a nose. Both races were for New York-bred 2-year-olds; the Lady Finger was restricted to fillies, the Pat On the Back was for for colts and geldings.
Ribbonite, trained by Robbie Davis, who co-owns the filly with Paddock Proud, was a twice-started maiden coming into the Lady Finger, but she was much the best Saturday, setting splits of 22.41 and 46.09 on the way to a final six-furlong time of 1:12.36. She led by a couple lengths around the far turn and steadily widened through the homestretch, easily beating runner-up Very Fashionable, who was 3 1/4 lengths better than third-place Ransom Drop. Ribbonite, a daughter of Griffinite and the Western Expression mare Western Lariat, paid $9.90 to win.
Pat On the Back, meanwhile, was on the lead winning a seven-furlong Saratoga maiden race second time out, but in the Aspirant he dropped back to seventh in the early stages behind a solid pace. Davis made his move into the homestretch while racing along the inside, came out for the stretch run, and Pat On the Back was along just in time to nip 2-1 favorite Macho Mia. Ethan Hunt finished third, as the winner went six furlongs in 1:11.43, paying $12.20.
Pat On the Back, trained by Ken McPeek for a partnership, is a son of Congrats and the Awesome Again mare Accomplished.