Speedometer, All in Sync open Ellis meet with off-turf sprint victories
Speedometer and All in Sync, both trained by Steve Asmussen, swept the off-the-turf sprint stakes that helped open the 23-day meet this weekend at Ellis Park in western Kentucky.
Local rains forced racing off the grass Saturday, when Speedometer capitalized on her superior main-track record in dominating the $57,000 Pea Patch, and again Sunday, when All in Sync was the narrowest of winners in the $68,750 Dade Park Dash.
Speedometer ($6.40) gave French jockey Vince Cheminaud his third American stakes victory when forcing all the running in the Pea Patch. Trained by Asmussen for owner-breeder Winchell Thoroughbreds, the daughter of Tapit was a five-length winner in a field of five 3-year-old fillies when finishing in 1:02.95 in the mud. She now has won four of 10 starts.
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Some 24 hours later, All in Sync ($3.40) nosed out Call Me Midnight in the Dade Park Dash, which was run in 1:03.43 over a track that had dried out to fast. Brian Hernandez Jr. was aboard for Asmussen and clients Ed and Susie Orr.
Call Me Midnight had forged to a short lead in deep stretch of the Dade Dash, which scratched down to just four 3-year-old colts and geldings, but All in Sync got the nod in a tight photo, earning his third win from eight career starts.
“The thing was to get a good trip and stay out of his way,” Hernandez said. “He was pretty resilient down the lane.”
After four dark days, racing at the Henderson, Ky., track will resume Friday with an eight-race card. The highlight of the coming weekend is the $75,000 Ellis Park Turf on Sunday.
– Marty McGee