King of Miami pulls trip to win Mystic Lake Mile

Trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux won two of the five open stakes races Wednesday night at Canterbury Park, but surely are ruing the one that got away. T D Dance could not quite overcome compromising trouble in the evening’s richest race, the $150,000 Mystic Lake Derby, narrowly won by longshot King of Miami.

King of Miami and jockey Jareth Loveberry pulled a perfect trip, saving ground along the fence until coming off the rail at the quarter pole to make a clean run between horses. T D Dance, the odds-on favorite, commenced his move from farther behind the leaders after passing the three-furlong pole and clearly was traveling best when he came outside at the quarter pole and ran into a wall of horses. Geroux, his mount stymied, steadied T D Dance, then dove back to the inside, eventually switching out again as King of Miami lunged for the wire and got home by a head. Modern Science rallied along the rail and finished only a head farther back in third.

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King of Miami exited a fourth-place finish as the favorite in an Arlington allowance race. Larry Rivelli, who trains the 3-year-old gelding for Vince Foglia’s Patricia’s Hope LLC, said earlier this week he was racing King of Miami without a tongue tie Wednesday night after noticing that the equipment appeared to be impeding King of Miami’s ability to get his air after the recent race in Chicago. By American Pharoah out of Bombo Genesis, by Afleet Alex, King of Miami paid $32.60 and was timed in 1:34.76 for a mile on firm, fast-playing grass.

Cox and Geroux landed the $100,000 Curtis Sampson Oaks with odds-on favorite Saranya and got the $100,000 Mystic Lake Mile with overlaid Hieronymus. Hieronymus, who paid $9 as the second choice, ran hard to get up by a nose in a very tight photo over pacesetting Cinco Star. Geroux and his mount tracked the leader from the start, coming abreast in the final furlong while unable to push past the stubborn pacesetter. It was nearly three lengths back to third-place Tut’s Revenge as Hieronymus set a course record, running his turf mile in 1:32.93. Parlor, the 2-1 favorite, finished seventh. Hieronymus, a 4-year-old Godolphin homebred, is by Girolamo out of Pamona Ball, by Pleasantly Perfect.

Saranya ($3.40) won the Curtis Sampson Oaks by a neck over Amalfi Princess, who flew home from the back of the field, going from sixth at the stretch call to just miss catching the winner. Saranya kept up somewhat surprisingly well with the pace, which might have been to her detriment in the end as the opening quarter-mile went in a quick 22.90, the half in 46.70, leaving anyone near the lead unable to muster much of a finish. Bred and owned by Peachtree Stable, Saranya is by The Factor out of Salary Drive, by Mizzen Mast.

Lady Canterbury

Trainer Mike Maker, annually a player in these Canterbury turf stakes, had 2-1 favorite Parlor fail to fire in the Mystic Lake Mile and just missed winning the Curtis Sampson Oaks with Amalfi Princess, but 4-5 favorite Evil Lyn took care of business in the $100,000 Lady Canterbury.

Princess Causeway, who would hold second, and Lady Lawyer, who wound up fifth, hooked up in a spirited backstretch duel, going the second quarter mile in a robust 23.05, as Evil Lyn sat comfortably in fourth. Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. moved Evil Lyn outside midway around the far turn and the 4-year-old filly finished willingly to score by one length. Evil Lyn, owned by Paradise Farms and David Staudacher, paid $3.60 and was timed in a brisk 1:34.01 for the mile on firm turf. The filly is by Wicked Strong out of Miss Relentless, by Mr. Greeley.

Dark Star Turf Sprint

Eight-year-old Jazzy Times broke a 20-race losing streak when he got up by a head over High Crime in the $110,000 Dark Star Turf Sprint Stakes.

Claimed for $25,000 last fall, Jazzy Times is spending his first summer in Minnesota and while winless since July 2018 didn’t bring bad form at all into the five-furlong Dark Star. One of only a couple horses with proven passing ability in race laden with need-the-lead types, Jazzy Times surprisingly broke on top in the Dark Star before being supplanted on the pace by Wellabled, who ripped through a quarter mile in 20.93 and a half in 44.41. Wellabled held past the furlong grounds but tired in the final stages as Jazzy Times, surging wide, barely beat rail-rallying 2-1 favorite High Crime. Chad Lindsay rode the winner for trainer David Van Winkle and owner Dennis Smith. Jazzy Times ($22.20) is by Discreetly Mine out of Jazzy Melissa by Grand Slam.

* Star of the North and jockey Ry Eikelberry rocketed to the lead and had plenty left to win the $65,400 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes. The Minnesota-bred 3-year-old filly now has won five of her six races, paying just $3 in her 7 1/4-length victory Wednesday night. Francisco Bravo trains Star of the North for Michael Grossman.