Lady Paname rewards patience with Long Island Stakes victory

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - There were high hopes for Lady Paname when she was purchased privately out of Europe by a partnership that included Sol Kumin, James Covello, Kent Spellman, and Mike Doheny in fall 2017. They just had to exercise patience to realize it.

Lady Paname rewarded that patience Saturday with a strong closing kick that carried her from midpack to victory in the Grade 3, $400,000 Long Island Stakes at Aqueduct. She finished a half-length in front of Tricky Escape, who was a half-length in front of Danceland.

It was a most fitting conclusion to the graded stakes turf season in New York, as Lady Paname is trained by Chad Brown and was ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. It was the 11th graded stakes for females on turf that Brown won this year at a New York Racing Association track. It was Ortiz’s seventh win in that category.

Lady Paname was making just her second start since September 2017. She was sidelined this spring with some physical issues and she rehabbed at Fair Hill Equine Therapy Center in Maryland under the care of Bruce Jackson.

Lady Paname was sent back to Brown in August and returned to the races in October winning a 1 1/4-mile allowance race by a nose at Belmont on Oct. 17.

On Saturday Ortiz had Lady Paname in seventh position early, just outside stablemate Pollara. Lady Montdore, the 5-2 favorite, was on the lead for the first three furlongs before being overtaken by Night of England, the third of Brown’s entrants in the race, just before the wire the first time.

Night of England, under Jose Ortiz, opened up a sizeable advantage through six furlongs in 1:16.67 and a mile in 1:41.04.

Leaving the three-furlong marker, Lady Montdore and Tricky Escape went after Night of England and Ortiz moved Lady Paname at that time.
Night of England still led to the sixteenth pole, but Lady Paname was finishing strong while four wide and struck the front about 30 yards from the wire. Tricky Escape also overtook Night of England for second.

Danceland won a three-way photo for third over Si Que Es Buena and Night of England, who ended up fifth. She was followed by Golden Attitude, Lady Montdore, Pollara, Violet Blue, and Gipoia. Pamina stumbled badly leaving the gate, unseating jockey Edger Prado. Neither horse nor rider was injured.

Lady Paname, a daughter of Soldier of Fortune, covered the 1 3/8 miles over turf labeled firm in 2:16.15 and returned $9.90 as the third choice.

“She broke out of there, I put my hands down, she relaxed so well,” Ortiz said. “I got to start riding early, she took some time to start going. I’ve been breezing her in the morning and I know her; I started working a little early. Then, in the stretch, when I tipped her out she was running at the end.”

Brown credited bloodstock agent Hubert Guy with picking out the filly, Jackson with his work during the summer at Fair Hill, and the owners with willing to be patient.

“Just an example of patience by everyone involved, and they were all rewarded today,” Brown said. “The horse ran great and Irad rode her great.”

Brown said that Night of England got a little keen early and that likely cost her late. He said Pollara, who finished eighth, “ran even. No excuses.”