Kaylasaurus surges in Primonetta Stakes
Kaylasaurus rallied from off a contested pace to capture Saturday's Primonetta Stakes for fillies and mares traveling six furlongs at Laurel Park.
The Primonetta was one of five $100,000 stakes on the card along with: the Native Dancer for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles, the King T. Leatherbury for 3-year-olds and up at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, the Dahlia for fillies and mares at one mile on grass, and the Henry S. Clark for older males at one mile on turf.
Favored Princess Kokachin set reasonable fractions of 23.37 and 46.49 seconds, but was pressured from the rail by Paisley Singing, and from the outside by Prodigy Doll and a four-wide Street Lute.
Meanwhile Kaylasaurus ($5.20) settled at the back of the compact field under jockey Horacio Karamanos. Princess Kokachin emerged with the lead at the three-sixteenths pole, but Kaylasaurus was in full flight on the outside.
Kaylasaurus took over for good in the final eighth and finished up the distance in 1:10.74. Prodigy Doll re-rallied in between horses to finish second, three-quarters of a length behind the winner. It was another 1 1/4 lengths back to Street Lute in third. Princess Kokachin faltered to fourth and was followed by Hope Has a Name and Paisley Singing. Cinnabunny scratched.
As Princess Kokachin, Street Lute and Prodigy Doll lined up at the top of the stretch, David Bushey, stable manager for owner Bush Racing, admitted to being slightly concerned.
“To be quite honest, down the backside, I was worried that she was so close,” Bushey said in a phone interview after the Primonetta. “She was three lengths off the lead when she’s normally eight or nine. I thought they must be walking up front. She kept trying to lug in and he [Karamanos] checked her a couple of times, but she had just enough kick to get there.”
Kaylasaurus was claimed for $25,000 at Penn National on Nov. 30, 2021. She paid immediate dividends for the new connections when taking the Willa On the Move Stakes at Laurel on Dec. 26. Kaylasaurus then placed second in the What a Summer on Jan. 29, ran fourth in the Grade 3 Barbara Fritchie on Feb. 19, and prepped for the Primonetta with a runner-up effort behind Princess Kokachin in a Laurel allowance on March 13.
The Primonetta was the first leg in the filly and mare sprint division of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series that launched its 2022 season April 16 at Laurel.
Next up in the MATCH series is the $100,000 Susquehanna Valley Stakes at Penn National on June 17. Kaylasaurus is based at Penn National with trainer Timothy Kreiser and Bushey is hopeful she will participate in the Susquehanna Valley.
“Home-field advantage, next time,” Bushey said. “She gets to run out of her own stall on the racetrack she trains on every morning.”
Bred in Pennsylvania by Arrowwood Farm, Kaylasaurus is a 6-year-old mare by Munnings out of stakes winner Five Diamonds.
King T. Leatherbury
A 392-day layoff proved no obstacle for True Valour as the Irish-bred took them gate to wire in the King T. Leatherbury.
Trained by Graham Motion for R. Larry Johnson, True Valour broke quickly under Feargal Lynch and set an opening fraction of 21.89 seconds while pressed from the outside by Can the Queen.
True Valour ($8.80) dismissed Can the Queen after a half-mile in 44.35, turned into the long stretch with the lead, then fended off favored Grateful Bred's late surge in the final sixteenth.
He completed the 5 1/2 furlongs over the firm turf in 1:02.10 seconds with Grateful Bred a half-length behind in second. It was another 1 3/4 lengths back to Battle Station in third. Then came Can the Queen, Fair Catch, Ima Pharoah, American d'Oro, Valued Notion, Dendrobia and Rad Paisley.
"I was a little surprised he was on the lead," Motion said in a telephone interview after the King T. Leatherbury. "He doesn't act like an 8-year-old, this horse. He was just very sharp."
True Valour hadn't started since finishing sixth in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai on March 27, 2021. Motion told Daily Racing Form earlier this week that True Valour "came out of the race with an injury that required surgery."
Motion gave credit to owner R. Larry Johnson's faith in True Valour. "I was actually surprised that Larry wanted to put him back in training,” Motion said. “But Larry is the eternal optimist and loves racing."
True Valour began his career in Ireland with trainer John Murtagh. He won 3 of 14 starts overseas including the Group 3 Ballycorus Stakes at Leopardstown in 2018.
True Valour first raced in North America for trainer Simon Callaghan and won three of eight starts in Southern California, including the Grade 3 Thunder Road and Grade 2 City of Hope Mile in 2019.
Purchased by Johnson for $220,000 at a 2020 Fasig-Tipton Horses of Racing Age auction, True Valour raced six times for Motion during 2020 and 2021. His lone victory prior to the King T. Leatherbury came in an allowance race with a $62,500 claiming option over synthetic at Woodbine in 2020.
True Valour is by European stallion Kodiac from the family of English 2,000 Guineas winner Mystiko.
Although True Valour has won at distances up to a flat mile, Motion indicated that "we'll keep him sprinting" and might consider a race like the Grade 1 Jaipur at six furlongs on the Belmont Stakes undercard for True Valour's next race.
Henry S. Clark
Chez Pierre is still undefeated after rolling home to take the Henry S. Clark under Daniel Centeno.
Bred in France and owned by Lael Stables, odds-on favorite Chez Pierre ($3.80) relaxed nicely under jockey Daniel Centeno as Highway Bound and Rock On Luke scorched through splits of 22.91 and 46.56 seconds.
Salty multiple stakes winner Field Pass made a three-wide bid for the lead after six furlongs in 1:11.52 and forced Chez Pierre widest onto the course as they turned into the straight.
The ground loss didn't matter, however, as Chez Pierre was simply too much horse. He sprinted home to win by 5 1/2 lengths over late-running Mandate. Field Pass was a head behind in third followed by Oceans Map, Sir Alfred James, Highway Bound and Rock On Luke. Chez Pierre was clocked in 1:34.83 for the mile.
"We had a great setup," winning trainer Arnaud Delacour said in a telephone interview after the Henry S. Clark. "They were actually smoking and set pretty fast fractions."
Chez Pierre won his first three starts sprinting on turf at Chantilly. A setback caused him to miss time, but he returned from a 309-day layoff to win his North American debut, an allowance race with a $75,000 claiming option, at Tampa Bay on March 9. He was slow to settle into stride that day but came to hand better this afternoon.
"Mentally, he's starting to get the hang of it," Delacour said. "He didn't break fast, and he settled coming out of the gate."
Chez Pierre is a 4-year-old gelded son of Mehmas and is a half-brother to Zelda, a stakes winner last fall in France.
Delacour mentioned races like the Grade 2 Dinner Party Stakes at Pimlico on May 21 and the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita on May 30 as possible options for Chez Pierre's next start.
Dahlia
Deciding Vote benefited from a quick pace and a clear outside run to win her seasonal debut in the Dahlia.
A 5-year-old homebred mare owned by William L. Pape, Deciding Vote ($12) was just a bit rank leaving the stalls, but soon settled down to race in midpack as Traffic Song and Dontletsweetfoolya blazed through hot fractions of 23.14, 47.00 and 1:12.34 seconds.
Odds-on favorite In a Hurry tracked the leaders in the second flight and uncorked a three-wide bid to take the lead into the stretch, but Deciding Vote, who raced in a comfortable midpack position on the backstretch, was lapped outside of her.
Deciding Vote and jockey Angel Suarez moved past In a Hurry in the lane to prevail by a half-length in 1:37.43. Coconut Cake finished 1 1/2 lengths behind in third followed by Fionnbharr, Out of Sorts, Double Fireball, Foggy Dreams, Mucha Mezquina, Tic Tic Tic Boom, Traffic Song and Dontletsweetfoolya.
"The trip set up perfect for her with all the speed," winning trainer Edward Graham said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park. "I was happy where she was on the first turn. She had a great trip. Angel gave her a great ride."
A daughter of Mr Speaker, Deciding Vote is a half-sister to stakes-placed turf router Inclusive. Her second dam, Last Approach, captured the Grade 2 La Prevoyante Handicap traveling 1 1/2 miles on dirt at Calder in 1997.
Noted turf trainer Graham mentioned that he "turns his horses out during the winter. They're always fresh."
The Dahlia was the first leg in the filly and mare long-turf division of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series. The next race in the series is the $100,000 Neshaminy Stakes at Parx Racing on June 14.
Native Dancer
Rough Sea, the longest shot in the seven-horse field, pulled off a big upset in the Native Dancer.
It took 9-year-old Rough Sea ($83) 30 starts to make his stakes debut, but he made the opportunity count for trainer Bruno Tessore and jockey Denis Araujo.
The early pace was very fast as Big Venezuela, an uncoupled stablemate of the winner, and Ain't Da Beer Cold grappled through fractions of 23.32 and 46.90 seconds with Workin On a Dream tracking in third.
Rough Sea, who settled near the back of the pack while saving ground, was stuck behind the tiring pacesetters and shuffled back as Workin On a Dream and Bird King pushed forward after six furlongs in 1:12.59.
Araujo maneuvered Rough Sea outside under urging and gradually grinded it out to win going away by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:51.76. A game Bird King was 2 1/4 lengths behind with Plot the Dots another neck back in third. Next were Workin On a Dream, favored Forewarned, Ain't Da Beer Cold and Big Venezuela.
Bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, Rough Sea is a gelded son of Include and is a half-brother to Grade 3-winning dirt router Eye of a Jedi.
Claimed for $12,500 on Oct. 30, 2021 by trainer Bruno Tessore and owner Proud Stable, Rough Sea was winless in his first four starts for the connections. He prepped for the Native Dancer with a runner-up effort when offered for the $16,000 claiming option in a $12,000 starter allowance event on April 3.
"I called the racing office and they only had three horses in the race," Tessore said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park. "I really like this horse going long. The longer the better. I put the other horse [Big Venezuela] just to go to the lead and make the pace a little bit faster and it worked out."