At yet another uncertain moment in his career, Patriot Spirit shipped to Colonial Downs and made an overwhelming statement on Saturday. Returning from a minor injury earlier this year, the talented 4-year-old colt romped home to win the $100,000 Reigh Count Stakes by four lengths. “Remarkable,” trainer Mike Campbell said of his colt’s performance. “When you got a good one, you got a good one, when they got that special ability that only Mother Nature puts into them. Today, he just showed his best.” Patriot Spirit may not be based at Colonial year-round, but the track undeniably holds a special place in his career. The colt traveled to Virginia for a six-length debut victory in 2023, and after suffering a setback in 2024, he bounced back from a layoff of nearly five months to win a $90,000 allowance there by 4 3/4 lengths. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports The Reigh Count on Saturday was yet another return race for the unlucky colt, who developed a splint after a runner-up finish in the $200,000 Knicks Go in May. The minor injury put a temporary stop to his budding 4-year-old campaign, but Patriot Spirit cut back to seven furlongs on Saturday and proved that he still has plenty to offer. “It was one thing when he broke his maiden and another thing when he won that second race,” Campbell said of Patriot Spirit’s career at Colonial. “But today, I thought it was a really good bunch of horses. Let me put it this way: they all deserve credit for being horses you had to beat. And he did it and he did it in quite a comfort zone.” The eager runner showed a new dimension when he rated in the Knicks Go, but the Reigh Count was a return to his front-running form. Jockey Mychel Sanchez urged the 4-5 favorite forward to enter an early speed duel with Celtic Contender, a salty 4-year-old colt trained by Ham Smith. The top pair completed the opening quarter-mile in 22.67. After chasing to engage with Celtic Contender on the backstretch, Patriot Spirit unleashed a strong bid on the far turn to take a 1 1/2- length lead through a brisk half-mile in 44.61. Celtic Contender wasn’t fading behind him yet; he was simply outclassed. Patriot Spirit extended to lead by three lengths entering the stretch and was never challenged in the run to the wire. He completed the seven-furlong sprint in 1:21.01, paying $3.60 to win. Inveigled, a 4-year-old gelding trained by Jane Cibelli, closed from fifth to win a scramble for second, though he never gave the runaway winner any trouble. He finished a half-length ahead of Celtic Contender, who finally showed signs of fatigue in the stretch after his duel early on. Now a three-time stakes winner, Patriot Spirit is obviously meant to try deeper waters in his second start back, but Campbell has not yet decided on his next starts. He said that he wants to stay near Colonial, which will likely limit him to the East Coast for now, but his triumph on Saturday opens plenty of doors from there. Love Sign Stakes Alani, a 4-year-old filly trained by Mike Moore, tried her luck on the front end and kicked away in the stretch to win the $100,000 Love Sign Stakes at Colonial Downs on Saturday. After coming up short in her last two starts, she didn’t leave anything to chance in her first stakes victory. After earning a pair of commanding allowance victories at Parx Racing and Laurel Park earlier this year, Moore began considering his improving dirt sprinter for stakes company and gave her a chance in the $100,000 Rehoboth at Delaware Park in May, where she finished fourth by 10 1/2 lengths. In her next try at Laurel in the $125,000 Alma North last month, she improved to finish second by two lengths. In both of those starts, Alani tried to win from off the pace and couldn’t make up the necessary ground, but many of her best performances in allowance company were on or near the front end. Undeterred by a potential speed duel in the six-furlong Love Sign, jockey Andy Hernandez sent her straight to the front on Saturday, easily reaching the rail from the 7 post on the backstretch. A sharp break out of the gate helped the filly find a comfortable position, but Top Gun Girl, a 6-year-old mare trained by Rodolphe Brisset, didn’t let her get away uncontested. The 7-5 favorite followed from the far outside position and pulled alongside her through a quick opening quarter-mile in 22.08. As the top pair continued to scrap for the lead on the far turn after a half-mile in 44.89, it started to look like both runners would eventually lose ground to a host of late challengers. But once Alani shook clear of Top Gun Girl, who faded to sixth, the filly kicked away on the rail to lead by 1 1/2 lengths turning for home. A group of closing longshots ran on near the wire, but none of them were up to the challenge of running down the gate-to-wire winner, who drew off to a 1 3/4-length victory. She finished the six-furlong sprint in 1:09.25 and paid $6.20 to win. It was Moore’s second stakes victory of the year and Hernandez’s first since 2023. Happy Clouds, a 5-year-old mare trained by Ryan Gillespie, stalked the leaders around the track and held well for second at 17-1 odds. She finished a half-length ahead of Admiral Hopper, a 7-year-old mare trained by Justin Nixon, who won a photo over 62-1 longshot Costa Amalfitana by a neck. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.