Last Leaf rallies for Audubon Oaks victory

HENDERSON, Ky. – Last Leaf doesn’t need to carry her track with her. The Florida shipper made herself right at home when surging to victory again Sunday in the $100,000 Audubon Oaks, one of the preliminary stakes on the big Ellis Park Derby card at Ellis Park.

Last Leaf had won three stakes from her four prior starts, all at Gulfstream Park, before launching another sustained rally to take the Oaks by 1 3/4 lengths over Take a Stand. Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, she returned $8.74 as second choice after finishing seven furlongs in 1:24.69.

“I just needed to get good position,” said Bejarano, who did just that. “After that, she win.”

Gunning, the 13-10 favorite in a field of 10 3-year-old fillies, was prominent for most of the running before fading late to finish third, another 2 1/4 lengths back.

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Ron Spatz trains Last Leaf, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Not This Time, for the Monarch Stables of Frank Bertolino. Based at Gulfstream, where she already had accounted for four stakes wins, she now has earned $332,647 from 15 overall starts.

The Audubon Oaks directly followed a pair of 2-year-old stakes that also were run at seven furlongs, all on a fast track.

Justa Warrior in Debutante

Getting a clean outside trip under Reylu Gutierrez, Justa Warrior shot to the front leaving the furlong grounds before finishing clear of a torrid late run from Pachuca when capturing the $122,500 Ellis Debutante by a length.

“Very thrilled,” said John Ortiz, who trains Justa Warrior for the Stone Bridge Farm of Jeff Prunzik. “She showed me what she’s capable of here. We all know where this is going, or at least we hope so,” alluding to bigger fall engagements at Churchill Downs and/or Keeneland.

Justa Warrior, by the red-hot young sire Justify, now is 2 for 2 after winning her debut on July 22. She paid $7.02 as a lukewarm favorite in a field of 12 fillies after finishing in 1:25.89.

“Her pedigree certainly kicked in today,” Gutierrez said.

Top Recruit in a thriller

Top Recruit appeared beaten in midstretch before rallying back along the rail to prevail by a head over favored Curly Jack in a field of six 2-year-olds in the $124,250 Ellis Juvenile. The gray son of Midshipman paid $15.76 after finishing in 1:24.40.

Gerardo Corrales was aboard Top Recruit when the colt roared back to out-nod Curly Jack, the 6-5 choice. It was nearly 15 lengths back to Roman Giant in third.

Top Recruit, owned by a four-way partnership that includes trainer Mike Maker, won on debut in June at Churchill before finishing a distant third to the highly regarded Tyler’s Tribe in the Prairie Gold Juvenile in his only interim attempt.