Jouster rallies for the win in Perfect Sting Stakes
ELMONT, N.Y. – Jouster, whose previous wins came as a front-runner, showed Sunday she could be successful from off the pace as well, rallying from six lengths back to win the $100,000 Perfect Sting Stakes for fillies and mares by three-quarters of a length at Belmont Park.
Jouster ran down the stubborn longshot pacesetter Cheermeister – returning from a two-year layoff – who held second by a half-length over Love and Thunder, the favorite who got squeezed some at the break. Messidor, Flower Point, and Giggle Factory completed the order of finish.
The victory by Jouster gave trainer Todd Pletcher his second of what would be three wins on Sunday’s nine-race Belmont card. Pletcher also won Sunday’s $100,000 Boiling Spring Stakes at Monmouth. On Saturday, Pletcher won four races at Belmont, including both graded stakes.
“It’s been a great weekend, hopefully we can keep it going,” Pletcher said.
As a 3-year-old, Jouster won the Grade 2 Appalachian at Keeneland in front-running fashion. In three starts this year, Jouster displayed a new dimension but hadn’t won though she finished a troubled third in the Grade 3 Intercontinental, beaten just a length, here June 10.
Pletcher ran Jouster back in three weeks because he didn’t see a good option early in the Saratoga meet.
Under Luis Saez, Jouster settled into third position while the headstrong Cheermeister – making her first start since July 2020 – set fractions of 23.56 seconds and 46.27 for the opening half-mile under Trevor McCarthy. Coming to the top of the lane, a host of pursuers appeared ready to swallow up Cheermeister, but only Jouster was able to get by that one.
“She ran well, she’s matured, starting to settle. It allows her to finish stronger than she was earlier,” Pletcher said. “Always had talent, always had speed, now we’re just getting her to produce it at the right time.”
Jouster, a 4-year-old daughter of Noble Mission owned by Starlight Racing and Glen Hill Farm, completed the mile in 1:32.96 over firm ground and returned $7.30 as the second choice.
In addition to this being Cheermeister’s first start in two years, McCarthy said the bit came undone on the way to the track and after that got fixed Cheermeister froze behind the gate. Once in, she broke through pre-race forcing McCarthy to dismount. Cheermeister didn’t run off, and McCarthy quickly got back aboard.
“That’s the kiss of death usually,” McCarthy said. “For her to run as big as she did” was impressive.
Pletcher said he would look to keep Jouster at the one-mile distance, which might make the $135,000 De La Rose Stakes at a mile on Aug. 7 at Saratoga an option.
* When Higher Truth won Sunday’s seventh race, it was the 44th win of the meet for trainer Chad Brown. That tied the record for most wins by a trainer at Belmont spring/summer meet, set by David Jacobson in 2013 when the meet was 56 days long. Sunday was Day 40 of what is a 44-day meet.