Key to Power rallies to win Teleprompter

Brendan Walsh won two stakes his first three years of training, 2012-2014, but duplicated that total in about a half-hour Saturday. Shortly after Saham won the Jefferson Cup at Churchill, Key to Power rallied to capture the $50,000 Teleprompter at Arlington, doubling the number of stakes Walsh has won in 2015.

Walsh and owner Premier Stables Unlimited claimed Key to Power for $35,000 this past winter in Florida, and he now has won four times and passed $100,000 in earnings since switching stables. Key to Power had won the Cliff Guilliams at Ellis Park in his most recent race, and on Saturday, he rallied from fourth at the stretch call to beat Flashlight by three-quarters of a length. Favored Aztec Brave, who went too fast for his own good down the backstretch, faded a bit late and settled for third. Chris Emigh rode the winner, who paid $13 and was timed in 1:36.21 over firm, fast-playing turf.

One race earlier, favored Notte d’Oro found running room at the top of the stretch and went on to a 2 1/2-length victory over Be Playful in the $50,000 Melanie Frances Stakes. Dropping in class from a pair of Grade 2 races at Del Mar, Notte d’Oro looked around the far turn like she might get buried behind a wall of horses, but leading rider Jose Valdivia Jr. found a seam, and Notte d’Oro went on to a comfortable victory. Be Playful finished 1 3/4 lengths in front of Distorted Type, with the winner, who paid $4.80, stopping the timer in 1:36.59 for the mile on grass.

Saturday’s was the closing card of the 2015 Arlington season, and with it, the Jackpot Pick 6, which had carried over since Aug. 9, had to be paid out. Early logical results in the sequence gave way to 49-1 and 14-1 winners in the last two races, and the 20-cent bet paid $48,291.86.

Valdivia, based at Arlington for the first time, was leading rider at the meet, though runner-up Mitchell Murrill had a good season despite losing his apprentice allowance in June. Larry Rivelli was the runaway leading trainer, and one of Rivelli’s main clients, Vince Foglia’s Patricia’s Hope LLC, was leading owner.