Secret Love bounces back with Franklin Square Stakes upset

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer John Kimmel came away from Secret Love’s maiden victory in September at Belmont Park quite impressed. After all, the first-time starter had won by 6 1/4 lengths despite losing a shoe and knocking a piece of her hoof off, known as a grabbed quarter.

It took nearly three months for Kimmel to get Secret Love back to the races, so when she finished second in an allowance race as an even-money favorite on Dec. 20, he was not discouraged.

“I thought she needed her last race,” Kimmel said.

Secret Love certainly took a step forward off that last race and pulled a 13-1 upset in Saturday’s $100,000 Franklin Square Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct.

Under Pablo Morales, Secret Love stalked from second the pacesetting Rossa Veloce, took over from that one in upper stretch, and edged clear to a 1 1/2-length victory. Laobanonaprayer, the 3-5 favorite coming off two stakes wins, rallied from last to get second by a neck over Vacay. Rossa Veloce was fourth, followed by A Life That’s Good. Caramocha scratched.

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Kimmel was confident Secret Love was going to run a solid race after she had been outworking fellow New York-bred filly Frost Me, who won an allowance race Jan. 8.

“She was going to run better than she did last time,” Kimmel said.

Morales said he was told to put Secret Love into the race, and he had her within a half-length of Rossa Veloce through a half-mile in 46.68 seconds over the sealed, muddy surface.

Morales went to the whip approaching the top of the lane, Secret Love responded overtaking Rossa Veloce above the eighth pole.

Secret Love, a daughter of Not This Time owned by Tobey Morton and Nedlaw Stable, covered the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:19.86 and returned $28.

“I came out of there running, once the other speed horse made the lead, I sat second the whole way around there and she gave me a nice kick down the lane,” Morales said.

Kendrick Carmouche said trainer Daniel Velazquez had some concerns regarding Laobanonaprayer entering this racing after having missed some training time at Parx Racing. Carmouche also didn’t feel Laobanonaprayer was handling the wet track during warm-ups.

“She wasn’t ready,” Carmouche said. “I could feel it in the post parade. [Velazquez] told me she missed a lot of training, and she didn’t work good last time. He thought he had the best horse in the race to win, even though she wasn’t training as good. He took a shot.”

In Frost Me and Secret Love, Kimmel has two 3-year-old fillies eligible for the Maddie May Stakes for New York-bred fillies going a mile on Feb. 20. One or both could run there or one could run in the $250,000 Busher Invitational going a mile March 6.