Parade Clown gets revenge in WEBN

Parade Clown was a well-beaten second behind Music City in an allowance prep, but when the $50,000 WEBN Stakes was run Saturday at Turfway Park, the proverbial tables were turned, with Parade Clown emerging on top.

Music City broke sharply to set the pace in the one-mile WEBN, and passing the three-furlong pole, he was pulling away from his closest pursuer, Parade Clown. But jockey Bill Troilo still had something left with Parade Clown, and they re-rallied to overtake the front-runner inside the eighth pole and pull away to a 2 3/4-length triumph.

Music City, the 2-1 favorite off his Jan. 14 score over Parade Clown, easily held second, 11 1/4 lengths before longshot Dynamite Bob in a field of 12.

Parade Clown, a gray 3-year-old by Distorted Humor, is owned by his breeders, the Donamire Farm of Don and Mira Ball. Their daughter-in-law, K.K. Ball, trains the colt at Keeneland.

Parade Clown returned $8 as third choice after finishing in 1:40.73 over Polytrack.

The WEBN is a prelude to more important 3-year-old races at the winter-spring meet at Turfway in Florence, Ky. Next up is the John Battaglia Memorial on Feb. 28, followed three weeks later by the annual Turfway showcase, the Grade 2 Lane's End Stakes.

The WEBN was the second half of a rare Saturday stakes doubleheader. In the first half, Unspoken Word ($3) was never seriously threatened after seizing command soon after the start of the $50,000 Likely Exchange Stakes. Wellofaprize outfought Solarana for second, five lengths behind the winner in the one-mile race, which was completed in 1:39.87.

Owned by Twin Creeks Farm, Unspoken Word now has three victories in ungraded stakes, and 6 from 23 overall starts. The best race for the 5-year-old mare was a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita in December 2007.

The win was the third straight on a 12-race Turfway program for Victor Lebron and Mike Maker, the leading jockey and trainer, respectively, at the meet. They also teamed to win the eighth race with Dooze ($6.80) and the ninth with Korbyn Gold ($2.80).