Ny Traffic idles late but still wins Chocolate Town
Ny Traffic worked hard, but the heavy favorite asserted his class in Penn National’s $100,000 Chocolate Town Stakes at six furlongs for 3-year-olds and up.
The six-furlong Chocolate Town shared top billing Friday with the $100,000 Susquehanna Valley for fillies and mares at six furlongs. Both races are part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) series.
Sent away the prohibitive 1-2 favorite in the nine-horse field, Ny Traffic broke sharply but outward from his far wide post position. Jockey Edwin Gonzalez settled him in the second flight while outside and in the clear as Beren and Pictor dueled through an opening quarter of 21.86 seconds.
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Ny Traffic surged to the front with a three-wide bid after a half-mile in 44.76 and opened a clear lead in the stretch, but Beren re-rallied along the rail to poke a nose in front. Undaunted, Ny Traffic parried Beren’s thrust and came back to prevail by a length in 1:09.64 seconds over the fast track.
It was another length back to Dontmesawithme in third. They were followed by Threes Over Deuces, Lost in Newyork, Jumpmaster, Sir Alfred James, Studio B, and Pictor. No Cents and Exculpatory scratched. Ny Traffic returned $3 to win.
“I loved where we were the whole way,” said winning trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. “At the top of the lane, I thought we were going to win by about four of five. Then, by the eighth pole, I thought he might get beat. He did idle. [Gonzalez] never touched him with the whip. When [Beren] came to him, he got a little reminder and went on again.”
When Ny Traffic stalled in upper stretch, Joseph had flashbacks to last year’s Salvator Mile at Monmouth. “He made the lead and pulled himself up and got beat by a 70-1 [79-1 shot Informative],” Joseph said. “I definitely think he idled.”
Owned by John Fanelli, Cash Is King LLC, LC Racing LLC, Paul Braverman, and Team Hanley, Ny Traffic ran some valiant races as a 3-year-old in 2020. Third in a division of the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds, he also finished second in the Louisiana Derby, Matt Winn, and Haskell.
As Ny Traffic has gotten older, he has enjoyed success at shorter distances. He captured the Hudson Handicap against New York-breds at Belmont on Oct. 30. In his final start before the Chocolate Town, Ny Traffic wired four others in the Affirmed Success, also for statebreds at Belmont, on April 29.
A 5-year-old son of Cross Traffic, Ny Traffic was bred by Brian Culnan. He has won 6 times in 19 starts for earnings of $873,340.
Susquehanna Valley
Fille d'Esprit earned the second stakes victory of her career with a pace-pressing triumph in the six-furlong Susquehanna Valley.
Trained by John Robb for C J I Phoenix Group and No Guts No Glory Farm, Fille d'Esprit broke well and settled to the outside of pacesetter Hey Mamaluke through opening fractions of 21.97 and 44.75 seconds.
Jockey Xavier Perez pushed the button on the turn and Fille d'Esprit responded. She forged to the lead in upper stretch and drew clear to score by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:09.38.
Cinnabunny rallied for the place. It was another 1 1/4 back to favored Kaylasaurus in third. Then came Hey Mamaluke, Prodigy Doll, and Deco Strong. Bold Confection scratched.
Fille d'Esprit returned $6.20 to win as the second choice in the wagering.
"I told him [Perez] to get a good break, stalk the four [Hey Mamaluke], and wait until you have to because the horse you have to beat [Kaylasaurus] is coming from off of it," Robb said after the race.
Claimed for $10,000 out of a winning effort at Laurel on Aug. 21, 2020, Fille d'Esprit has won 7 of 14 starts for Robb including Laurel's Conniver Stakes earlier this spring.
Third in the Grade 3 Barbara Fritchie one start prior to the Conniver, Fille d'Esprit prepped for the Susquehanna Valley with runner-up efforts in both the Heavenly Cause at Laurel on April 16 and the Skipat at Pimlico on May 21.
A 6-year-old mare by Great Notion, Fille d'Esprit was bred in Maryland by Sweet Spirits Stables. Overall, she has won 9 times from 17 starts for earnings of $353,726.
Robb mentioned that he will keep Fille d'Esprit in MATCH series races. The next race in the 3-year-old and up fillies and mares sprint division on dirt is the $100,000 Alma North Stakes traveling 6 1/2 furlongs at Laurel on July 16.
The MATCH Series offers $2.2 million in purse money and more than $400,000 in bonus money. For each division, first place pays $30,000 to the owner and $15,000 to the trainer. For the overall champion, the owner receives an additional $20,000 and the trainer $10,000.