Slam Notion notches first stakes victory with Star de Naskra
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Slam Notion, a 3-year-old gelding trained by Robert Bailes, earned his first stakes victory in the $125,000 Star de Naskra Stakes at Colonial Downs on Saturday.
Jockey J.G. Torrealba found the perfect stalking trip and the gelding did the rest, withstanding a late challenge from three-time stakes winner Barbadian Runner to win by two lengths.
Bailes took a confident step forward in May when he entered Slam Notion in the $150,000 Chick Lang. The Maryland-bred gelding went off at 26-1 in that lofty stakes debut and suffered an awkward start, finishing 11 1/4 lengths behind.
With a cleaner start against state-restricted 3-year-old rivals at Colonial Downs, however, Slam Notion made a far better case that he belonged. Torrealba put the gelding in an excellent position from the start, settling into third on the backstretch behind front-runners Saxton and Re Markably.
Through an opening quarter in 22.03, the top two were clear of the field by two lengths, but by the time they completed a half in 44.55 Slam Notion was already circling them in a bold bid for the lead. He was two lengths in front by the time he hit the stretch and wound up winning by the same margin, paying $15.40 to win. He completed the seven-furlong sprint in 1:21.44.
Despite the honest early fractions, most of the closers in the Star de Naskra failed to fire. Barbadian Runner, the 2-1 favorite trained by Henry Walters, made an honest bid from fifth and was making up ground at the end, but he was too late and had to settle for second. Re Markably, a colt trained by Bill Mott, was 4 1/4 lengths behind the runner-up and edged fellow pacesetter Saxton for third.
The Star de Naskra was Barbadian Runner’s first sprint attempt in stakes company since January, and his improved performances going longer may partially explain his defeat on Saturday. He was a runner-up in the $250,000 Delaware Derby at 1 1/16 miles last time out as well, though that performance behind Brad Cox runner Admiral Dennis was arguably more impressive.
Miss Disco Stakes
Winfinity, a 3-year-old filly trained by John Ortiz, took advantage of a quick early pace and closed fast to win the $125,000 Miss Disco Stakes at Colonial Downs on Saturday. In six career starts, both of her victories have come in state-restricted stakes in Virginia.
In August 2024, Ortiz skipped the maiden ranks entirely and entered then-unraced Winfinity in the $150,000 Keswick Stakes, in which she closed from last to win her juvenile debut. She lost her next four starts before entering the seven-furlong Miss Disco, but a return to her home state also marked a return to the winner’s circle on Saturday.
Three fillies in the Miss Disco’s field of eight scratched, but Conquerthosewecan and Moon Cache ensured a quick early pace when both inside runners went for the lead through a quarter-mile in 22.12. Conquerthosewecan, trained by Brittany Russell, managed to take a short lead but was never comfortably in front.
While the top two continued battling on the backstretch through a half-mile in 44.56, the three fillies behind were jockeying for position in preparation for the sprint home. Shkhara Fire, a 16-1 longshot, never made up any ground, leaving Winfinity to contend with Grayson’s Girl, Russell’s other filly, in the closing stages.
Both early leaders had little to offer on the far turn and Grayson’s Girl made the first move to lead by a length in the stretch. She attempted to kick clear from there, but didn’t get far, as Winfinity and jockey Ben Curtis were already reeling her in down the center of the track.
Grayson’s Girl never yielded in a solid bid, but was simply overwhelmed as Winfinity breezed past to win by 2 3/4 lengths. She completed the seven-furlong sprint in 1:21.22 and paid $4.80 to win.
Grayson’s Girl, a filly described as “unlucky” by Russell, ran well despite being outmatched in the end. She finished 3 3/4 lengths ahead of Moon Cache, who never left Conquerthosewecan’s side and won a third-place photo for trainer Mike Gorham.
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