Major Dude overcomes traffic trouble to win Penn Mile
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Major Dude gave his many backers an anxious moment when he was shuffled back along the inside entering the far turn of Friday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Penn Mile for 3-year-olds on turf at Penn National.
Undaunted, Major Dude angled off the rail under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., made a three-wide bid to go after the leaders, then gamely wore down Behind Enemy Lines to prevail by three-quarters of a length in 1:33.73 over a firm turf course that yielded fast times.
The Penn Mile was the feature race on an 11-race card that also included the $150,000 Penn Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on turf as well as four $100,000 stakes for Pennsylvania-breds.
Trained by Todd Pletcher for Spendthrift Farm, Major Dude broke well in the Penn Mile, but conceded the lead to Recruiter through an opening quarter in 23.17 seconds.
Recruiter raced well off the rail on the backstretch and was pushed from his outside by Candidate and a five-wide Behind Enemy Lines, and from his inside by Major Dude after a half-mile in 47.85.
Recruiter began to falter after three quarters in 1:11.19, and Behind Enemy Lines got the jump on Major Dude when that one found traffic trouble. Behind Enemy Lines led into the stretch, but Major Dude gathered momentum and slowly wore that one down in the final sixteenth.
Fletcher, dismissed at 98-1 on the tote, finished 4 1/2 lengths back in third. Then came Recruiter, Movisitor, Candidate, Tuskegee Airmen, and Upstate and Back. Major Dude returned $2.80 as the prohibitive favorite.
Major Dude was purchased for $550,000 as a yearling. A debut winner on dirt at Monmouth last spring, he placed in the Sapling on dirt there in his third start before taking the Grade 2 Pilgrim in his turf debut during the Belmont at the Big A meeting on Oct. 2. He finished ninth, beaten 3 3/4 lengths in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, his final start at 2.
Major Dude placed second in the Dania Beach on Jan. 7 at Gulfstream, then won his second graded stakes when taking the Kitten’s Joy there Feb. 4.
He finished second to subsequent Kentucky Derby runner-up Two Phil’s in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on synthetic on March 25 at Turfway Park before running a close third in the Grade 2 American Turf on May 6 at Churchill.
A son of Spendthrift stallion Bolt d’Oro out of stakes-placed Mary Rita, Bolt d’Oro was bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms. His third dam is Hall of Famer Personal Ensign. He has won 4 of 9 starts for earnings of $572,095.
Penn Oaks
Malleymoo benefited from a beautiful ride by Trevor McCarthy to upset the Penn Oaks.
In a race lacking any early speed, McCarthy put Malleymoo, a filly that had never set the pace in her career, right on the lead. They cut the corner going into the first turn and proceeded to set a glacial opening fraction of 24.32 while lightly prompted by Metaphysical.
One could have put a blanket over the tightly bunched field as Malleymoo cruised through a half in 49.45. She began her sprint for home following six furlongs in 1:12.81 and held off Metaphysical’s determined stretch charge to score by a half-length in 1:34.89. She returned $24.20 to win as the fourth choice in the wagering.
Princess Bettina, who went gate-to-wire in her previous start, Santa Anita’s China Doll Stakes on March 18, finished another 3 1/2 lengths back in third after being held up near the back in the early going.
Then came Majestic Creed and favored Royalty Interest. Violet Gibson, Hidewright Away, Miss New York, and Selenaia scratched.
A 3-year-old filly by English Channel out of the Lonhro mare Tangaroo, Malleymoo was bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm. A $13,000 Keeneland January short yearling in 2021, she was purchased for $112,000 at Fasig-Tipton nine months later and sent overseas.
Malleymoo raced once in Ireland last year for trainer Joseph O’Brien and took a maiden over the all-weather surface at Dundalk.
Purchased privately by the partnership of Rockingham Ranch, David A. Bernsen, Talla Racing, and trainer Jack Sisterson’s JWS Racing, Malleymoo finished second in her North American debut, Gulfstream’s Wait a While Stakes on Dec. 10.
Malleymoo finished off the board in two graded races at Gulfstream to kick off her 2023 campaign, then placed a troubled fourth in a first-level allowance on April 14 at Keeneland, her final start prior to the Penn Oaks.
Malleymoo has now won 2 of 6 starts for earnings of $127,381. Her fourth dam is Irish champion Park Express, and she hails from the family of two-time European champion New Approach.
* Heartyconstitution ($2.20) won her third consecutive start by taking the Lyphard for Ortiz and trainer Joe Sharp. A 4-year-old filly by Constitution, Heartyconstitution settled in midpack, made a three-wide sweeping run on the second turn, and completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:39.76. It was the first stakes win for the half-sister to Grade 3-winning dirt sprinter Chateau.
* Utilizing front-running tactics under Mychel Sanchez, Buy Land and See ($4) captured the With Anticipation for the second consecutive year. Buy Land and See ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:38.07 and has won three straight stakes since being transferred to trainer Guadalupe Preciado's barn by owner-breeder Joseph Imbesi.
* Preciado came back to take the Danzig with another Imbesi homebred as Gordian Knot ($3.40) made a four-wide bid on the turn before staying to his task in the stretch. The Social Inclusion colt ran six furlongs on fast dirt in 1:11.52 to notch his third stakes victory.
* Late Frost ($9.40) made her 3-year-old debut a winning one with a front-running victory in the New Start under Jaime Rodriguez for trainer Michael Matz. The Frosted filly has won 3 of 4 lifetime starts and completed six furlongs in 1:12.56.
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