Lightening Larry vanned off after winning Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash
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LAUREL, MD - It was a bittersweet victory for Lightening Larry in Saturday’s $150,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park as the multiple stakes-winner was vanned off the track after pulling up “off in his left fore,” according to one of the track veterinarians on scene.
Lightening Larry was odds-on in the De Francis, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and upward, but he had to work hard to catch the pacesetting Wondrwherecraigis, who jetted out to the lead under Sheldon Russell to set fractions of 21.84 and 44.65 seconds over the fast track.
Wondrwherecraigis was pressed from the outside by Sir Wellington with Lightening Larry and jockey Daniel Centeno hung out three wide through the turn.
Wondrwherecraigis dismissed Sir Wellington at the quarter pole and looked strong turning into the stretch, but Lightening Larry never gave up.
The favorite continued to find more in the final eighth and surged by Wondrwherecraigis to prevail by a half-length in 1:09.29. Holy Synchronicity was another 4 1/2 lengths behind in third. Sir Wellington and Threes Over Deuces completed the order of finish. Ladneedsahandler and Synthesis were scratched. Lightening Larry paid $3.40.
The Saturday program was run in very hot weather with first post moved back from 12:25 pm to 12:10 pm ET, and races run with shorter intervals in between.
Lightening Larry didn’t seem to be in any major discomfort as he walked onto the horse ambulance. The vet stated that he was vanned off “as a precautionary measure.”
Wondrwherecraigis placed second in the De Francis for the third consecutive year. He finished first in the 2021 edition but was disqualified for causing stretch interference.
Lightening Larry became trainer Jorge Delgado’s first graded stakes winner when he captured last year’s Chick Lang at Pimlico. Since then, Lightening Larry has notched four more stakes victories, including Monmouth Park’s Mr. Prospector on May 29, and Delaware Park’s Alapocas Run on July.1
Bred in Florida by Michelle Redding, Lightening Larry is owned by Lea Farms. The 4-year-old Uncaptured colt has won 8 of 18 starts for earnings of $607,080.
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