Roanan Goddess squeezes up rail to take Xtra Heat

LAUREL, Md. – Roanan Goddess was due some racing luck.

She almost didn’t get it in Saturday’s $100,000 Xtra Heat Stakes for 3-year-old fillies traveling six furlongs at muddy Laurel Park.

The rail was platinum this afternoon, and Roanan Goddess tracked the pace along the inside as Reconcile and C C Royal sparred through fractions of 22.86 and 46.74 seconds.

Reconcile got the better of the pace skirmish but wandered slightly off the inside turning into the stretch. That allowed jockey Jeiron Barbosa room to operate, and he sent Roanan Goddess through at the three-sixteenths pole.

Recognizing his mistake of wandering off the rail, Jaime Rodriguez tried to shut off Barbosa’s path, and Reconcile and Roanan Goddess played a dangerous game of pinball for several strides before Roanan Goddess assumed command for good.

She splashed under the wire 2 1/4 lengths better than Reconcile in 1:11.82. Roanan Goddess’s uncoupled stablemate, C C Royal, placed another two lengths back in third. Then came favored Heart and Still Game.

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Kiss for Luck scratched.

“Everything has been on the rail all day,” said winning trainer Hamilton Smith. “Well-ridden. I was worried that he wasn’t going to get through.”

Roanan Goddess returned $6.80 as the third choice in the betting.

“She’s a tough little nut,” Smith said. “She always tries. She’s a very small filly, but she gives you all she’s got.”

Bred in New York by Chad Carter, Roanan Goddess is a gray daughter of Leofric. A $30,000 yearling purchase, she was purchased by Mens Grille Racing for $60,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old in training.

Roanan Goddess made her first two starts on turf, winning a maiden special weight second-time out traveling 5 1/2 furlongs at Colonial.

Switched to the main track, Roanan Goddess finished second in a first-level allowance race on Oct. 7, then displayed her grit and determination when overcoming traffic issues to win a similar event at six furlongs.

Roanan Goddess lost all chance at the start of her stakes debut, the Smart Halo on Nov. 11, when stumbling badly. She was then compromised by a lack of pace help in her final start of 2023, the Gin Talking Stakes, a race that was dominated throughout by the top-two finishers.

Smith mentioned potentially shipping Roanan Goddess to New York to take advantage of her New York-bred eligibility. She has taken three of seven starts for earnings of $147,240.

“If you see her on a daily business, she’s just full of herself all of the time,” said Smith. “She’s aggressive.”

Guanare takes three-horse Spectacular Bid

The Xtra Heat was one of two $100,000 stakes on the Saturday program, paired with the Spectacular Bid for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs later on in the day.

Concerns about track condition affected the Spectacular Bid greatly as Maximus Meridius, Mission Beach, El Divino Nino, Copper Tax, Kelly’s Kidz, and Point Pelee all scratched.

That left a field of three with Guanare a standout on paper. Trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr., the Runhappy colt tracked Sweet Soddy J and Had to Have Him after early splits of 23.13 and 46.46, made a three-wide bid to command on the second turn, then stayed to his task to win by 2 3/4 lengths.

Sweet Soddy J rode the gold rail throughout for second. Had to Have Him was another nine lengths behind at the rear. Guanare won his third consecutive start and returned $2.60 to Win .

“It was really him the whole way,” said winning rider Romero Maragh. “He switched leads on time. He leveled off nicely. It was a bit of a muddy day, so I’m glad he took a good hold of the track. He ran really good.”

Bred in Kentucky by Michael A. Waresk, Guanare sold for $29,000 as a short yearling before being purchased for $27,000 by P and G Stable at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling auction.

Guanare finished sixth in his career debut, a six-furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream on Aug. 26 when conditioned by Rodolfo Garcia. Switched to Dutrow, he stalked and pounced his way to a maiden victory for a $40,000 tag during the Belmont at the Big A meeting on Oct. 7.

In his final start prior to the Spectacular Bid, Guanare earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure when drawing away against a field of $50,000 starter allowance foes at Aqueduct on Nov. 30.

Guanare’s dam, stakes-placed turf miler Cast in Silver (by City Zip), is a half-sister to Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice, and Maragh believes Guanare has the toolset to successfully stretch out in distance down the road.

“I think the more he matures, definitely more distance,” Maragh added. “Just because of how smooth of a horse he is. He’s not overly keen, but he’s one to settle and he can make a run whenever you need him. He’s a push-button horse, so I think the longer the better.”

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