Nownownow's time arrives on turf

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Nownownow, a loser of all three of his starts on dirt, found a new lease on life on the turf, rolling to a three-length victory in Friday's $83,250 With Anticipation/P.G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga.

The filly Zee Zee rallied to get second by a nose over entrymate Sherine, another filly, who had made all the early pace. This turf race for juveniles featured four fillies and five colts and geldings among its nine starters.

Nownownow, a son of Whywhywhy, was rated in seventh along the inside under Julien Leparoux. Approaching the top of the stretch, Leparoux was going to go outside, but couldn't find any room. So, Leparoux kept Nownownow on the inside and he came through on Zee Zee and then tipped outside inside the sixteenth pole to charge past Sherine.

"We tried to go on the outside and I got there but it kind of closed so I went back on the inside," said Leparoux, who added that Kent Desormeaux, aboard Zee Zee "tried to box me in, but I had so much horse I could go through. He really kicked good."

Nownownow owned by Fabien Ouaki's Fab Oak Stable and trained by Patrick Biancone, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.26 and returned $14.60 to win.

It marked the second time in two years that trainer Biancone and Ouaki won this race with a maiden. In 2005, they took this race with Stream Cat after he finished fifth in a dirt race earlier in the meet.

"The plan was to run in this race, my owner was keen to do it," Biancone said. "We won with Stream Cat a couple of years ago who was a maiden. He said keep him like that."