Lagynos steps up with Muniz Memorial Classic
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Lagynos is raising his game and his profile in the older male turf division.
Sitting a super trip under a confident Jose Ortiz, Lagynos tipped out three wide in the stretch and ran by pace-prompting Tom’s Magic to win the Grade 2, $300,000 Muniz Memorial Classic by one length at Fair Grounds on Saturday. Tom’s Magic finished second by the same margin over two-time Grade 1 winner Program Trading.
The win was the second straight at the meet for Laygnos, a 5-year-old son of Kantharos who earlier this meet won the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Stakes, and his seventh win from 25 starts. The first-place purse of $180,000 helped push Lagynos’ career earnings to $2,016,166.
“Extremely proud of Lagynos,” trainer Steve Asmussen said in a post-race interview aired on the Fair Grounds simulcast. “He’s a colt that as a 3-year-old ran in a lot of races, a lot of tough-luck trips, never gave up. But I do believe with his last two wins, he’s found a new level of confidence. He settled, he handled so nice for Jose and when he asked him to run he ran through the wire.”
Lagynos, owned by Prince Sultan Bid Mishal Al Saud, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.17 (99 Beyer Speed Figure) over a firm turf course and returned $5.20 as the slight favorite over Program Trading.
The win was the fifth on the card and second in a stakes for Ortiz, who still had four more rides on the card. It was the third victory on the card for Asmussen.
Lagynos got a sweet trip under Ortiz as he settled into third, inside of Program Trading, behind Idratherbeblessed, who was pressed by Tom’s Magic through a half-mile in 48.33 seconds. Ortiz sat chilly even while losing a couple of positions as Program Trading and Chasing the Crown made a move around the far turn.
Ortiz put Lagynos in the three-path turning for home and he was able to easily overtake Tom’s Magic in deep stretch for the victory.
“We had a great trip,” Ortiz said. “I broke good, two horses went to the lead, I sat off them and when I asked him to go he was there for me. This is a nice. He does everything right. He always shows up, that’s what we love about him, even when he gets beat he always shows up.”
Lately, he hasn’t been getting beat.
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