Ridin With Biden notches first stakes win with Deputed Testamony

Hail to the Chief.

Ridin With Biden went right to the lead under jockey Frankie Pennington, controlled the fractions, and sprinted home to win Laurel Park’s $100,000 Deputed Testamony Stakes for 3-year-olds and upward at 1 1/8 miles on Saturday.

The Deputed Testamony headlined Saturday’s Card along with four $75,000 stakes restricted to Maryland-bred or -sired runners.

Sent off as the second choice in the six-horse field, Ridin With Biden made the most of his inside post position. He broke sweetly, cut the corner going into the first turn and set reasonable splits of 24.60, 48.94, and 1:13.31 while pressured by Tappin Cat.

Ridin With Biden opened up on the field on the far bend and was never threatened in the stretch. He streaked under the line 6 1/4 lengths better than favored Plot the Dots. Magic Michael raced wide throughout and trudged on for third, 2 3/4 lengths behind Plot the Dots.

Then came Treasure Trove, Tappin Cat and Commandeer. Armando R scratched. Ridin With Biden returned $7.60 to win.

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“When I asked him for home, he really took off,” Pennington said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park.

Trained by Butch Reid for Cash Is King LLC & LC Racing LLC, Ridin With Biden earned his first stakes victory.

Ridin With Biden showed promise as a 3-year-old, finishing second in the Grade 3 Dwyer at Belmont and fourth in the Grade 3 Smarty Jones at Parx.

Reid told Daily Racing Form earlier this week that Ridin With Biden has improved since being gelded over the winter.

“He was a bad actor, a stall walker,” Reid said. “We had a tough time keeping weight on him. The castration settled him down.”

After placing in his first two starts of the year, Ridin With Biden captured a “three-life” allowance at Delaware on June 17. He then finished a game second in the Battery Park Stakes at Delaware on July 9, his final start before the Deputed Testamony.

Bred in Kentucky by William Harrigan and Mike Pietrangelo, Ridin With Biden is a son of Constitution out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Allemande. His second dam, Wild Heart Dancing, won the Grade 2 Canadian Handicap on turf and earned $597,641.

With the victory, Ridin With Biden boasts a career record of 4 wins from 15 starts with earnings of $261,580.

*Miss Disco

Heavily favored Divine Huntress, Grade 1-placed in last month’s Acorn at Belmont, made the chalk players sweat as she earned her first stakes victory in the Miss Disco for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs.

Trained by Graham Motion for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Long Valley Stables, Divine Huntress tracked the pace while three-wide as A Little Bit of That carved out fractions of 23.36 and 46.18 seconds.

Divine Huntress and jockey Victor Carrasco geared up with a four-wide bid on the turn, and they struck the front at the three-sixteenths pole. Ever so briefly, it appeared that Divine Huntress would open up on the rest, but Sweet Gracie rallied stoutly along the inside to challenge the favorite.

Sweet Gracie had strong momentum inside the sixteenth pole, but Divine Huntress asserted her class. She dug down right at the wire to win by a nose in 1:24.23 seconds.

“It was a little bit exciting at the end, but she got the job done,” Motion said in a telephone interview after the Miss Disco. “I think she’s very game, honest and brave.”

Petition Prayer pushed the early leader, dropped back a bit on the turn, then re-rallied on the far outside to finish a neck behind Sweet Gracie in third. Then came Dry Well and A Little Bit of That. Royal Whisper and Charming Way scratched.

Divine Huntress paid $3.20 to win.

Bred by Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bowman and Ricky Buckley, Divine Huntress is a daughter of Divining Rod out of the Housebuster mare Thrill Seeker.

Transferred to the Motion barn after a maiden victory at Parx Racing on Dec. 13, she dominated a first-level allowance at Parx to kick off her 2022 season before competing in four consecutive graded stakes events, culminating with the Acorn.

Divine Huntress has now won three times from eight starts for earnings of $233.490. Motion didn’t mention a specific spot for Divine Huntress’ next race but indicated that a mile might be her best distance.

*Jameela

The consistent Spun Glass benefited from a fast pace and a clean trip under jockey Feargal Lynch to grab the Jameela for fillies and mares at 5 1/2 furlongs on good turf.

A homebred mare by Hard Spun owned by R. Larry Johnson, Spun Glass broke nicely, but Lynch was content to let the pace go. He settled Spun Glass in fifth position while one path off the rail as Golden Can opened a two-length lead through an opening quarter of 22.70 seconds.

Golden Can took the field to upper stretch but ran out of gas at that juncture. Spun Glass split rivals, made the lead and held off a cavalry charge of closers led by Ellanation to prevail by a half-length in 1:04.28. She paid $6.40 as the second choice in the betting.

Island Philo finished a head behind Ellanation in third. Then came Whiteknuckleflyer, Mattitude, Dendrobia, favored Can the Queen, Golden Can and Margie’s Heaven.

“There was a lot of pace in the race,” Lynch said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park. "It was a little bit softer than I thought it would be, but she handled the ground really well.”

Trained by Michael Trombetta, Spun Glass has won 5 times from 17 starts for career earnings of $201,099. The Jameela was her first stakes victory. She is a half-sister to Xmas Surprise, who earned blacktype Friday at Del Mar when second in the Daisycutter Handicap at five furlongs on turf.

*Star de Naskra

Alottahope had always shown 'alotta' promise, and the half-brother to the popular multiple stakes-winner Street Lute won by 'alotta' lengths, 15 to be exact, in the Star de Naskra for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs.

The Star de Naskra featured an early game of cat-and-mouse as Alottahope’s uncoupled stablemate, Al Loves Josie, broke well and went right to the front under jockey Xavier Perez.

Rail-drawn Super Love, favored after winning his first three starts by a combined 11 3/4 lengths, broke a beat slow and rushed up along the inside under Horacio Karamanos to engage Al Loves Josie.

Karamanos decided to back off Al Loves Josie in the hope of moving outside that rival, but jockey Jevian Toledo briskly moved Alottahope forward to keep Super Love boxed on the fence.

Denied the outer path, Super Love was shuffled back and soon called it a day. The two John Robb-trained runners then controlled the fractions with Al Loves Josie hounded by Alottahope through splits of 22.70 and 45.53.

Alottahope traveled better, however, and he forged to the lead turning into the stretch. From there, the question was only the margin of victory as Alottahope strutted home unchallenged.

Buff Hello was second, 2 1/4 lengths better than Al Loves Josie. Then came Cynergy’s Star and Super Love. Local Motive and Uncle Irish scratched.

Alottahope returned $5.40 as the second choice after surviving a brief jockey’s objection from Karamanos.

“The 2 was boxed in and Toledo went up and kept him there, which is what he’s paid to do,” Robb said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park.

Robb had always marveled at Alottahope’s long stride, but was frustrated by his penchant for finding traffic trouble in his prior races.

A son of Editorial, a young half-brother to Uncle Mo, Alottahope is owned by No Guts No Glory Farm. He placed second in last year’s Maryland Juvenile Championship and has won four of nine starts for career earnings of $179,860.

*Ben’s Cat

Justwaveandsmile won his sixth consecutive turf start when he rallied from off the pace to nip favored Grateful Bred in the shadow of the wire in the Ben’s Cat at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Trained by Dale Capuano for Steven Newby, Justwaveandsmile settled in between horses at the back of the compact field as Jaxon Traveler and Grateful Bred sparred through fractions of 23.90 and 46.89 over the good course.

Grateful Bred took over in upper stretch and appeared to be on his way to victory, but jockey Jean Alvelo eased Justwaveandsmile out for a clear run, and they came with a determined bid to squeak past Grateful Bred by a neck in 1:04.46.

Jaxon Traveler held the show, a length behind Grateful Bred. Completing the order of finish were Showtime Cat, Kenny Had a Notion, Double Crown and Youngest of Five. The winner returned $13.40 as the third choice in the wagering.

The Ben’s Cat was Alvelo’s first career stakes victory.

“It’s a dream come true,” Alvelo said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park.

Justwaveandsmile’s win streak began in a $12,500 beaten claimer at Laurel last Oct. 1. Sixteen days later, he grabbed an open $12,500 claiming race. He then polished off his 2021 campaign with a first-level allowance win on Nov. 19.

The 5-year-old returned from having the winter off to finish fourth in his seasonal debut in an off-turf race, then scored a restricted allowance on June 17 followed by a second-level allowance on July 3. The Ben’s Cat was his first start in a stakes event.

Justwaveandsmile has won six of eight starts going 5 1/2 furlongs on Laurel turf, and has prevailed in 8 of 17 lifetime races for earnings of $259,436.