Leave No Trace back to winner’s circle

Leave No Trace, the Grade 1 Spinaway winner in 2022, won her first race since then when she captured a second-level allowance race by a neck Sunday at Aqueduct.

After dueling outside of Starship Defiant and wresting the lead from that one at the eighth pole, Leave No Trace held off a rail run from Dame Cinco to get the victory in the 6 1/2-furlong race.

Leave No Trace was making her first start on dirt since August 2023, when she finished last of seven in this condition going one mile at Saratoga. Since then, Leave No Trace ran twice on turf and once on synthetic, none particularly good.

Trainer Phil Serpe noted that Leave No Trace is now 3 for 3 in races run at seven furlongs or shorter.

“I will write on the chalkboard 100 times a day I will only run Leave No Trace sprinting on dirt,” Serpe said after the race.

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Serpe said had Leave No Trace failed to run well Sunday, most likely she would have been retired. Serpe said he was not planning beyond this race, so he’s not sure where Leave No Trace would run next. There is obviously a third-level allowance option as well as the Grade 3, $175,000 Vagrancy Handicap at Aqueduct on May 18.

“I’m happy that she won,” Serpe said. “Making decisions like that on race day is not wise. My hope is this moves her in a forward direction.”

Leave No Trace ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.43. Leave No Trace is a daughter of Outwork owned by the WellSpring Stables of Dr. Robert Vukovich and his wife Laurie.

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