Spirit and Glory rallies past the pack in Virginia Oaks

New York-based trainer Robert Falcone is loving Virginia this summer.

Falcone ran his meet record to 6-5-1-0 as Spirit and Glory ran past 10 horses in the final five furlongs to win the $200,000 Virginia Oaks by 1 1/4 lengths, going away.

Irad Ortiz Jr. won his fourth of five races on the card as Irish import Spirit and Glory won her first stakes race.

Sparkle Blue sat second off solid splits of 23.60 seconds and 47.43 and gamely held second, no match for the winner but 1 1/4 lengths better than Candy Light, who ran late for third. Candy Light was a neck in front of Lady Puchi, who did well to finish fourth after being sandwiched between horses and nearly dropped in upper stretch. The problems came because pacesetting Thisnameisokay lurched a couple paths to the right turning into the homestretch, Lady Puchi smushed between her and Sparkle Blue. Stewards conducted an inquiry, but since Lady Puchi finished in front of the horse who fouled her, no change was made to the order of finish.

While stewards reviewed the film, Spirit and Glory already was getting her picture taken, having been outside and behind the scrum.

Ortiz took his mount to the fence before the first turn and saved ground around that bend, but he came off the rail down the backstretch and went three to four paths wide into and around the far turn. Still just 11th of 14 at the half-mile pole, Spirit and Glory did have cover on the turn, where Ortiz followed Full Count Felicia, and Spirit and Glory quickened beautifully at the furlong grounds to burst past the pack still ahead of her.

Sixth choice in the betting, Spirit and Glory paid $19.20 to win, running 1 1/8 miles over firm turf in 1:48.25.

Surprisingly was the surprise favorite at 5-2 and finished seventh, while morning-line favorite Oakhurst went off at a tepid 7-2 and checked in 12th.

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Owned by Michael Nentwig, Michael Dubb, and Beast Mode Racing, Spirit and Glory never had raced on turf when she was purchased and imported to the United States from Ireland earlier this year. In her first American start, June 16 at Belmont, she won a first-level turf allowance race, and Spirit and Glory clearly took a step forward Tuesday from her seventh-place finish July 22 in the Lake George Stakes. Spirit and Glory is by Cotai Spirit out of Supreme Spirit, by Invincible Spirit.

Da Hoss

Julien Leparoux gave Oceanic a perfect trip, and 5-year-old Oceanic rewarded Leparoux and the gelding’s connections with an emphatic stakes win, the first of his career, in the $150,000 Da Hoss.

Breaking from the outside post in a field of 11, Leparoux perched his mount third, a few lengths off a speed duel between Warrior’s Pride and Nobody Listens. The pacesetters were nip and tuck around the turn and into the stretch – and soon ran out of gas. Oceanic got first run, jumped on the tiring leaders past the three-sixteenths pole, and never came close to being threatened, winning this 5 1/2-furlong turf dash by 3 3/4 lengths.

Matta crossed the wire second but was placed fifth after being disqualified. Coming off the rail in upper stretch, jockey Trevor McCarthy, aboard Matta, crossed in front of Justwaveandsmile before he was clear, causing his rival to lightly clip heels and his rider to check. The disqualification elevated favored Yes and Yes, who was racing just outside Justwaveandsmile at the time of the foul, to second, with County Final moved up to third.

None of them were nearly as good on the day as Oceanic, who clocked 1:01.49 over a firm course and paid $21 to win. Oceanic needed seven tries to win a maiden race and ran once for a $30,000 maiden-claiming price, but when trainer Jordan Blair moved the gelding to turf in January 2021, Oceanic’s career turned around. His form had been somewhat in and out this year, Oceanic occasionally getting into enervating pace battles of his own, but he settled beautifully Tuesday while likely running the best race of his life.

Oceanic, by Constitution out of Rockin Girl, by Rock Hard Ten, is owned by Surfside Stables and was bred by DP Racing.

Juvenile stakes

Odds-on favorites went down to defeat in the pair of 2-year-old stakes Tuesday, as Gigante captured the $128,000 Kitten’s Joy by 6 3/4 lengths and Determined Jester, a 35-1 shot, was best by 4 1/2 lengths in the $128,000 Rosie’s Stakes.

Grand Oak, favored at 7-10, never came close to reaching contention in the Rosie’s, a 5 1/2-furlong turf dash. Fit to Fly finished second, followed by Determined Jester’s Phil Schoenthal-trained stablemate, Flamingo Faze, with Grand Oak fourth.

Schoenthal and owner D Hatman Thoroughbreds took Determined Jester to Saratoga for her career debut on July 21, when she contested the pace and held third in a sprint carded for grass but rained onto dirt. Determined Jester was the 3-2 favorite in a Colonial maiden grass sprint Aug. 16 but could only finish fourth, leading to her boxcar odds Tuesday. Determined Jester was long gone.

Sitting second under Forest Boyce as Call Me Ice Man was sent to lead through an intemperate tempo, Determined Jester easily took the lead in upper stretch and coasted to a comfortable victory, clocking 1:02.75 over the firm going and paying $72 to win. A filly who got three pounds from her male rivals, Determined Jester is by Practical Joke out of Call Mariah, by Dixie Union. She was bred in Kentucky by Judy Hicks, Kathryn Nikkel, and Sanford Robertson.

Rarified Flair, the 1-5 favorite, managed second in the two-turn Kitten’s Joy but was no match for Gigante, who spurted away from Rarified Flair in upper stretch when the chalk tried to mount a bid. Under Feargal Lynch, Gigante alternated on a solid pace with Determined Crush before putting away his pace rival, then widening to the wire after disposing of Rarified Flair. The winner was timed in 1:44.08 for 1 1/16 miles on grass, as Free Soul finished a distant third.

Trained by Steve Asmussen for Iapetus Racing and Diamond T Racing, Gigante ($12.60) debuted at this Colonial meet with a modest showing in restricted turf-sprint maiden. He improved by many lengths winning a one-turn dirt mile in his second start and hit another level Tuesday in his turf-route debut. Gigante is by Not This Time out of Summertime Green, by Empire Maker. He was bred in Virginia by Ann Mudge Backer and Smitten Farm.

* Battle Bling ($4.60) won a $101,000 overnight handicap by 2 3/4 lengths over Jilted Bride. Rob Atras trains the winner, a daughter of Vancouver, and Irad Ortiz Jr. rode her.