The Meadows: E Dee’s Well Said looks to keep going in Keystone Classic

When Christen Pantaleano dropped E Dee’s Well Said into last week’s Jugette, some observers might have concluded the trainer had “Jugette Fever” and was racing just to say she did. Her filly’s credentials — success in late closers at The Meadows, second in the Pennsylvania Sires Stake consolation — didn’t seem to justify a battle with the finest 3-year-old fillies in the sport.

But if Pantaleano suffered from that disease, she was cured by watching E Dee’s Well Said finish second, beaten a diminishing length by Alexa’s Power, at an astronomical 62-1. The daughter of Well Said-Eternity’s Delight earned more than $57,000, the biggest payday of her career.

“If the race had been a few steps longer,” she said, “we would have won it all. It was by far the greatest thrill of my life.”

On Saturday at The Meadows, E Dee’s Well Said will try to maintain her momentum in the $61,500 Keystone Classic. She’ll go from post 7 in race 4 with regular pilot (and Christen’s husband) Jim Pantaleano, who guided her in the Jugette. First post is 1:05 PM.

E Dee’s Well said was purchased for $35,000 as a 2-year-old for C Jimmy D’s Racing LLC, an investors’ group that Christen Pantaleano manages.

“She was very scrappy,” the trainer recalled. “We took a chance on her, and as soon as we got her to the barn, she was game for everything. I always thought that she would be great on a half-mile track, and Jimmy always has been a great half-mile-track driver. From the time we bought her I told Jimmy, ‘She’s going to the Jugette.’

“When I staked her to the Jugette, I thought they would go heats, which didn’t happen. I thought she would be amazing in heats because absolutely nothing affects her.”

E Dee’s Well Said has the Simpson and the Pegasus remaining this year. Prompted by her filly’s stunning debut on a half-mile oval, Christen Pantaleano already is working on a plan for her 4-year-old campaign.

“I would love to take her to Yonkers and see what she can do. She has so much potential, and she has an amazing attitude.”

Saturday’s card includes a number of attractive wagering opportunities, including a pair of rich pool guarantees — $7,500 for the Pick 4, $5,000 for the Pick 5 — as well as a $957.10 jackpot for the Super Hi-5.