Mia Torri goes wire to wire in winning Sugar Maple

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Mia Torri won her third race since being turned over to trainer Jorge Navarro last fall. She also gave Navarro his third winner on the Charles Town Classic card on Saturday.

Mia Torri, a 4-year-old filly by General Quarters, went wire to wire to win the $100,000 Sugar Maple, a two-turn, seven-furlong race and the richest undercard stakes on the Classic program. In her prior start, she had finished fourth in the Grade 2 Inside Information at Gulfstream Park.

"She got sick on us before that race and looking back we shouldn't have run her," Navarro said. "She is a much better filly than she showed that day."

In the Sugar Maple, Mia Torri set fractions of 22.66 and 46.42 en route to a final clocking of 1:25.84 over the sloppy track. She was tracked by Ultimate Holiday first, and then held off Kinsley Kisses the final quarter-mile to win by 3 1/4 lengths. Lake Ponchatrain finished third, two lengths farther back.

Mia Torri paid $3.20 as the favorite in the five-horse field.

Mia Torri is owned by Phillip Sagan and his son, Anthony, who was on hand. The Sagans live in Chicago and have owned Standardbreds, but Mia Torri is their first Thoroughbred.

Earlier on the card, Navarro won the $50,000 Russell Road with Shaft of Light and the Caixa Eletronica overnight handicap with El Deal. He also finished third in the Grade 2 Classic with War Story.

Navarro said all four horses would now go to a farm near Monmouth Park. He said that he planned to ship his horses in his Florida stable to Monmouth gradually over the next few weeks. The Monmouth backstretch opened Saturday.

Navarro has won four straight training titles at Monmouth.

Confucius Say: Slip the Cable wins comeback

Slip the Cable improved his record to eight wins in 13 starts by winning the $50,000 Confucius Say, a seven-furlong race for West Virginia-bred runners.

Slip the Cable, who was making his first start since November, went right to the lead in the Confucius Say and won by 3 1/2 lengths. He paid $3 in the 10-horse field and was timed over a sloppy track in 1:26.45. Slip the Cable is 8 for 11 at Charles Town.

Slip the Cable, 5, was gelded over the winter. Trainer Jeff Runco said after the race that Slip the Cable had been getting rank in his training, but was doing better since having the procedure.

Follow the Notion finished second in the Confucius Say and Big Bad Dude was third.