Reagan's Flame rallies to another synthetic win in Presque Isle Masters
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Reagan’s Flame closed with undeniable efficiency to notch her third graded stakes victory in the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters on Friday. The 5-year-old mare rose to prominence on synthetic at Woodbine earlier this year, but the result was much the same in Pennsylvania.
After focusing on routes for most of her 4-year-old campaign, Reagan’s Flame cut back in distance as soon as she entered trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s barn earlier this year. In four starts in Canada, she transformed into an outstanding synthetic sprinter, winning the Grade 3 Whimsical and Grade 3 Seaway.
The Flameaway mare entered her first Grade 2 race as the 8-5 morning-line favorite at Presque Isle and was subsequently bet down to even money. Her stablemate, Paradise City, scratched, making things even straightforward. She paid $4 to win in her second straight victory under jockey Edgard Zayas.
Joseph, who won two stakes on the card, has now won the Presque Isle Masters three times since 2022.
Paris Carver, a 9-1 outsider trained by Jorge Delgado, was the only runner who put up a reasonable fight against the heavy favorite. Jockey Paco Lopez gave the 3-year-old filly an ideal front-running trip against older rivals, kicking 1 1/2 lengths clear through an opening quarter-mile in 22.64 seconds.
Reagan’s Flame was content to sit in fourth for most of the 6 1/2-furlong sprint, but other front-runners helped to ensure that Paris Carver did not slip away. Mitole Magic rushed up for an early challenge and pressured the pacesetter through a half-mile in 44.90.
Lopez kept asking Paris Carver for more, and though she remained resilient to the end, the demanding pace softened her up just enough for Reagan’s Flame to make her winning bid. Zayas angled out in the stretch and applied consistent pressure to push ahead by three-quarters of a length, completing the 6 1/2-furlong distance in 1:14.62.
Paris Carver held on for second by one length over Les Reys, who closed from seventh to pick up third for Miguel Clement.
Neoequos takes Presque Isle Mile
Neoequos made his first trip on synthetic a winning one for Joseph, pulling clear by 4 3/4 lengths in the $150,000 Presque Isle Downs Mile Stakes. Despite running on dirt for the vast majority of his career, the 4-year-old colt has now won stakes on all three surfaces.
In January, the Florida-bred switched to turf at Gulfstream Park and defeated statebred rivals in the $75,000 Sunshine Turf. He did not win again in four dirt starts between March and August, leading Joseph to synthetic in search of class relief.
Paco Lopez broke sharply in his first ride aboard Neoequos and sat just off the early leader in the 1 1/16-mile race. Grounded, the 5-1 pacesetter trained by Scooter Davis, completed a leisurely opening quarter-mile in 25.07 seconds and quickened slightly through a half-mile in 48.70.
The slow fractions proved limiting for closers in the field of six, giving Neoequos a decided advantage from second. The Joseph trainee easily reeled in the early leader on the far turn and drew clear without much urging. He completed the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:41.56 and paid $5.20 to win.
Encino, the 3-5 favorite trained by Brad Cox, stalked farther back in fourth but lacked running room near the eighth pole. He failed to challenge the winner and finished third by a nose behind Grounded.
Bossy Wossy stays unbeaten in Juvenile
Bossy Wossy remains unbeaten and untested in three career starts after pulling clear by five lengths in the $100,000 Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial Juvenile Stakes on Friday. The precocious juvenile aced his stakes debut under Israel Rodriguez, pulling clear by five lengths.
Bossy Wossy’s dominant effort at Presque Isle marked the third career stakes victory for trainer Juan Arriagada. His two previous wins came with Estilo Talentoso, who won the Grade 3 Bed O’ Roses at Belmont in 2021 and $60,000 Escena at Gulfstream in 2020.
In a field that also included the Graham Motion trainee Frost Rocket and Florida-bred shipper Boyhood Dream, bettors still heavily backed the local contender in the field of nine juveniles. Bossy Wossy went off at 3-5 and paid $3.20 to win.
Grandes Suenos, a 62-1 longshot, managed to hustle into the early lead in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint and completed the opening quarter-mile in 22.61 seconds, but his advantage was short-lived. Rodriguez kept Bossy Wossy to task in second and easily took over through a half-mile in 45.11.
Boyhood Dream and the 13-1 outsider Uncle Kef tried to make stalking bids on the far turn, but they were emphatically repelled by the eventual winner. Bossy Wossy never looked back after dispatching of his pacesetting rival and completed the 6 1/2-furlong distance in 1:14.69.
Uncle Kef, a well-traveled juvenile trained by Kevin Rice, held on to second by a head over Pretty Boy Bubba, who picked up the pieces from seventh for trainer Alice Beckman.
In three victories, all under Rodriguez, Bossy Wossy has won by a combined 21 1/2 lengths.
Our Sweet Belle wins Debutante via DQ
Our Sweet Belle was elevated to a victory in the $100,000 Presque Isle Debutante Stakes by disqualification after stewards ruled that the even-money favorite Almighty One interfered with
her in the stretch. The two juvenile fillies finished together at the wire, with Our Sweet Belle showing great courage despite being bothered in the final strides.
Two horses, including the 8-5 morning-line favorite Royal Companion. scratched from the field of seven juvenile fillies, leaving Almighty One and Our Sweet Belle as obvious local contenders. The pair stalked together while the 8-1 outsider Downforce completed the opening quarter-mile in 22.52 seconds and half-mile in 45.49.
Almighty One, a last-out allowance winner at Presque Isle, had a vast edge in experience over Our Sweet Belle, who was making her second start and synthetic debut after an 8 1/2-length maiden victory at Penn National last month for trainer Brandon Kulp. The favorite also had a small head start in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint, prompting Downforce early on the far turn to take a short lead at the top of the stretch.
But when Our Sweet Belle drew alongside under jockey Angel Rodriguez, her more experienced rival failed to maintain her path to the wire.
Under left-handed urging from Gaddiel Martinez, Almighty One drifted and forced the 3-1 second choice out near the wire. She prevailed by a nose but could not stand up to scrutiny after Rodriguez claimed foul. The disqualified winner completed the 6 1/2-furlong distance in 1:16.04. Our Sweet Belle paid $8 to win.
Chef’s Kiss, far removed from the duel for the win, rallied from seventh to take third for Arriagada. He finished 2 1/4 lengths behind Our Sweet Belle.
John Dutton takes Power By Far
John Dutton, a salty 6-year-old gelding trained by Scooter Davis, outclassed a field of Pennsylvania-bred rivals in the $75,000 Power By Far Stakes. It might have taken 34 starts, but the local standout finally earned his first stakes victory in gate-to-wire fashion.
With a determined ride from jockey Rosario Montanez, John Dutton dueled with the 37-1 longshot through an opening quarter-mile in 22.13 seconds and sustained pressure from his stablemate, The Boy’s Warrior, through a half-mile in 45.16. He still managed to kick clear by 1 1/4 lengths at the end, completing the 6 1/2-furlong sprint in 1:15.32 and paying $5.40 to win.
Despite taking some time to finally get his first stakes win against statebred rivals, there were several hints the 6-year-old was working his way toward a breakthrough. In July, he ran a game third in a Presque Isle allowance behind Spirited Sol and Souper Forces. Both of those rivals have since won stakes in open company on turf, and John Dutton’s victory on Friday further flatters the live race.
Earlier this month, the gelding got some class relief in a second-level allowance and never trailed in a one-length victory. It was an ideal prep for the Power By Far, where he and Montanez managed a similarly commanding effort.
Wow Whata Party, a longtime Pennsylvania-bred contender, steadily advanced from sixth to take second for trainer Chuck Lawrence. He finished a half-length ahead of The Boy’s Warrior, who was repelled by the winner and could not manage to secure the one-two finish for Davis
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