Lopez lands first local win aboard D I Wire in Aspirant
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Jockey Paco Lopez made his first trip to Finger Lakes worthwhile aboard D I Wire, who proved much the best on the front end to win the $100,000 Aspirant Stakes. The juvenile colt did not stack up against statebred stakes rivals at Saratoga last month, but trainer Kelly Breen found the right field this time.
“I think it’s great that [Lopez] drives anywhere and goes to any racetrack,” Breen said. “I don't know how many racetracks he's been in the last week, but he's 1 for 1 up there. He liked the horse. He wanted to go. We’re happy with the victory.”
In a shortened field of five 2-year-olds, D I Wire went off as a short 6-5 second choice behind the Lisa Bartkowski-trained colt Covered Option, who won a statebred maiden special weight at Saratoga by 8 1/4 lengths last month. Those two rivals ran one-two all the way around, with jockey Javier Castellano chasing aboard the 1-2 favorite.
With an extremely clean break, Lopez and D I Wire managed to kick clear by two lengths early in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint. They never relinquished that margin from the three-path while easing through an opening quarter-mile in 22.72 seconds and half-mile in 46.16.
Covered Option eventually shook well clear of the stalking 6-1 third choice Big Poppy, who went on to finish 10 3/4 lengths behind in third for Anthony Ferraro. But despite a persistent drive under Castellano, the Bartkowski trainee never got any closer to the pacesetter.
D I Wire, the early leader in all three of his career starts for Breen, did not have enough to hold off tougher rivals in the $200,000 Funny Cide at Saratoga earlier this month, but softer competition at Finger Lakes did the trick. He and Lopez cruised home to win by 2 1/4 lengths, completing the 5 1/2-furlong sprint in 1:04.91 and paying $4.76 to win.
“We don't normally run our 2-year-olds back in two weeks, but he came back to the barn looking so good that I brought it to the attention of the owner,” Breen said. “He put it up to my hands and it all worked out. I'm ecstatic, just really happy. He's a nice horse.”
Sun Blissed Kiss takes Lady Finger
Sun Blissed Kiss appeared to be the lone speed in the $100,000 Lady Finger Stakes on Monday at Finger Lakes and ran exactly to form, leading all the way under Kendrick Carmouche for a gate-to-wire victory. The juvenile filly remains unbeaten in two starts against New York-breds.
Coming off a 5 1/2-length maiden special weight victory at Saratoga last month, the Joe Sharp trainee was bet down to 1-5 in her statebred stakes debut at Finger Lakes. She paid $2.50 to win.
Sun Blissed Kiss was Carmouche’s only mount on the nine-race card and he handled her with profound confidence, breaking sharply and taking an uncontested lead in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint. She easily maintained command through an opening quarter-mile in 23.13 seconds and half-mile in 46.78, leaving her plenty left for the stretch drive.
Sweet Sugar Pie, the 4-1 second choice and one of three entered by trainer Paul Barrow, was the only one to keep things competitive from a stalking position in the final furlong, but Sun Blissed Kiss was never in trouble. She edged clear by 1 1/2 lengths and completed the 5 1/2-furlong distance in 1:05.07.
Sweet Sugar Pie and jockey Jeremias Flores finished 6 3/4 lengths ahead of her stablemate, Cozzy Trickstress, who ran an unchallenged third ahead of a strung-out group of straggling rivals.
My First Dinah upsets Niagara
Three of the four stakes winners on Monday at Finger Lakes scored at odds under 2-1, leaving My First Dinah’s victory in the $50,000 Niagara Stakes as the most notable upset. With a determined bid from fourth under Olaf Hernandez, the 6-1 shot rallied to win by three-quarters of a length over 4-5 favorite Oh.
Coming off a distant sixth in a first-level allowance at Saratoga, the New York-bred 3-year-old filly returned to Finger Lakes and gave trainer Eduardo Jones his second career stakes victory. His first came in 2021, when Dublinornothin won the $45,000 Belle Gallantey at Aqueduct.
In his first stakes start at Finger Lakes since August 2007, Hernandez got the ideal stalking trip aboard My First Dinah, settling into fourth in the six-furlong sprint. Galileans Girl, the 9-5 second choice, took a short early lead and dueled with the Michael Maker-trained favorite Oh through an opening quarter-mile in 23.21 seconds and half-mile in 46.83.
With an aggressive ride under Reylu Gutierrez, Oh eventually tore command away from Galileans Girl on the far turn to take a short lead at the top of the stretch.
The Maker trainee, who won the Lady Finger at Finger Lakes last year, was brave in her first start off a nine-month layoff, but she was vulnerable to a late challenge and My First Dinah capitalized. Hernandez kept the Jones-trained outsider rolling late and blew past the two early leaders near the wire. She completed the six-furlong distance in 1:12.67 and paid $14.54 to win.
The other three closers in the field of six New York-bred 3-year-old fillies failed to fire, leaving Oh to hold second over Galileans Girl by a length.
Stickupwithoutagun rebound in Ontario County
Stickupwithoutagun might not have been up to the challenge in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial at Saratoga last month, but the 3-year-old New York-bred was supremely prepared for the $50,000 Ontario County Stakes at Finger Lakes.
With a confident ride from Christopher Elliott, the Ilkay Kantarmaci-trained colt pressed the pace from the outside early in the six-furlong sprint and easily outkicked the pacesetter Lord King to win by 1 1/2 lengths. He paid $3.26 to win.
Kantarmaci and Elliott connected for two wins on the nine-race Monday card at Finger Lakes, successfully shipping horses from Saratoga in search of softer company. Stickupwithoutagun, who was claimed for $75,000 in August, had previously run poorly in the $155,000 New York Derby at Finger Lakes for Kenny McPeek, but this trip was worth Kantarmaci’s time.
The two favorites in the field of six statebred 3-year-olds dueled early in the Ontario County, with Lord King taking the early initiative for trainer Luis Gutierrez. The 2-1 second choice broke awkwardly and slammed into inside rival Kings Dancer, but he still managed to take a short lead through an opening quarter-mile in 22.56 seconds and half-mile in 46.01.
Despite his determination to make the lead, the pacesetter could not hold off Stickupwithoutagun on the far turn. Elliott was not afraid to travel outside in the early duel and still had plenty under him in the stretch. He edged away by 1 1/2 lengths, completing the six-furlong distance in 1:12.82.
Lord King held on to take second by a neck over Kings Dancer, who was forced to save ground after getting taken out of contention at the start. The Linda Dixon trainee eventually settled in and rallied for third.
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