Puca takes Steve Pini Memorial Stakes

Taking Puca off the pace looked like a crackpot strategy, given her recent solid efforts near the front, but the mare proved fond of the well-timed ride by jockey Abel Lezcano and got up in the final sixteenth to win the $82,000 Steve Pini Memorial Stakes on Saturday at Suffolk Downs.

The 5-year-old Big Brown mare was unrushed from the outside gate while longshot Loya took command of the early lead from the inside post. Loya got loose on a 3 1/2-length lead through the race’s opening quarter-mile, while Judy’s Chance tracked in second on the hedge and Queen Caroline chased in third on the outside.

Loya carried the lead into the backstretch, but was quickly losing ground, and led Judy’s Chance by just a head after she passed the first half-mile.

Meanwhile, Puca continued to sit in fifth, about 4 1/2 lengths off the lead duo after conceding up to 6 1/2 lengths early on.

Judy’s Chance overtook the quickly folding pacesetter shortly after the fourth furlong, and engaged in a battle up front with Queen Caroline that stretched into the final turn, while Lezcano began to advance with Puca.

Queen Caroline soon disposed of her new opponent and emerged with a half-length lead at the top of the stretch over Puca, who staged a rally on the outside. Lezcano pushed Puca past her foe with little resistance just outside the final pole and drove on to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

Queen Caroline continued on for second, 1 1/2 lengths over the late-moving French import Princess Gibraltar.

Puca stopped the clock in the roughly one mile, 70-yard race in 1:43.63 over the firm turf at Suffolk Downs. She paid $7.40 to win as the favorite against a full field of 10 fillies and mares who had never won a graded stakes race.

Bill Mott trained Puca for owner Donegal Racing. She was bred in Kentucky by the partnership of Donegal president Jerry Crawford and Paul Pompa Jr.

The Steve Pini Memorial was Puca’s fourth win in 15 career starts, improving her lifetime earnings to $298,606. It was her first stakes victory, and her second overall win of the year, following an off-the-turf score in a Belmont optional claimer on June 24.