Puntsville scores repeat win in Hoist Her Flag Stakes

A 2015 experiment in route racing didn’t end well, and she went through a three-race rough patch during the second half of 2016, but otherwise, the 6-year-old mare Puntsville has mainly been a win machine.

On Saturday night at Canterbury Park, Puntsville went out and did what she does – win a horse race. She made the lead from post 1 under Carlos Marquez Jr., cut out all the pace, and held safe the closing Shar Ran and Thoughtless to win the $50,000 Hoist Her Flag Stakes for the second year in a row. Puntsville now has 12 wins and five second-place finishes from 23 starts. Two of her off-the-board finishes came in two-turn races, and in six-furlong races like the Hoist Her Flag, she’s 13-10-2-0.

Puntsville set splits of 22.05 and 45.05 seconds while clear, and though her stride shortened in the final furlong, the outcome never appeared to be in doubt, Puntsville was home by one length as Shar Ran nipped Thoughtless for the place. Puntsville ran six furlongs on a fast track in 1:09.88 and paid $5.20 as the second choice. The favored Fight to Glory never got involved.

Michele Boyce trains Puntsville for her breeders, Steve and Diana Holland, who mated the stallion Cashel Castle with the mare Deville to produce Puntsville. Boyce had lost with two stakes starters earlier on the card, including Puntsville’s brother Devileye, but leave it to the old gray mare to come through.

Creative Art draws off in Dark Star

Creative Art overcome a poor start and then survived a jockey’s objection to win the $50,000 Dark Star Cup by 1 1/2 lengths Saturday night at Canterbury.

Creative Art flubbed the break but recovered to press the early pace, then took over the lead through a half-mile in 45.31 seconds. Creative Art began drifting out as Devileye tried to come outside him with a run, but while he might have intimidated Devileye and definitely herded him off his line, Creative Art remained clear, and stewards dismissed a claim of foul from jockey Marquez alleging interference in the stretch.

Creative Art ($26) was claimed for just $16,000 in December by trainer Shawn Davis, who owns him with Frank Bemis. Creative Art had won a starter race, then for a $25,000 tag at the Canterbury met, but took a sizeable step up Saturday.

Devileye, who had an eventful trip, finished three-quarters of a length clear of Malibu Max for second. Creative Art ran 6 1/2 furlongs on a fast track in 1:16.05. The 8-year-old gelding, an Illinois-bred like Puntsville, is by Shore Breeze and out of Creative Miss, by Creative.