Stall wins another Colonel Power; presents trophy in Stall Memorial, named for his father
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NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans native Al Stall Jr. has the Colonel Power Stakes all figured out. He trained last year’s winner, Pyron, and while Pyron failed to fire in Saturday’s renewal, Stall brought Evan Sing back from a four-month layoff to notch a three-quarter-length victory in the $99,000 Colonel Power.
Tracking wide on the best part of the turf course but chasing a slow pace that favored the two front-runners, Evan Sing got up a full head of steam under Flavien Prat at the eighth pole and ran down tough-luck Angaston, who had pressed the pace and held gamely for second while making his first start in the better part of two years.
Louisiana-bred Yankee Seven set slow splits of 23.30 and 48.60 and held for third, with Surveillance, who was very reluctant to load, finishing fourth.
Surveillance on paper looked like the race favorite, but Evan Sing took betting from the start and paid $6.20 as the chalk. Evan Sing earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure.
The first also-eligible in a vastly overfilled race restricted to eight runners, Evan Sing drew into the Colonel Power when Twirling Roses was scratched. Still eligible for a second-level allowance race, the 4-year-old gelding had trained well enough that Stall was excited at the chance to run.
Evan Sing cleared his first allowance condition at Saratoga in August, then dropped too far behind the leaders to have a chance to win second-level allowance races at Kentucky Downs in September and Keeneland the next month.
“What we learned was he runs well fresh,” Stall said. “Those last couple races he was falling out the back door.”
This time, Evan Sing fell into a perfect spot sitting third. Prat heavily encouraged his mount through the final furlong while ending up close to the outside fence, the best place to be Saturday.
Stall earlier in the day had presented the trophy after a stakes race named for his late father, Albert M. Stall. After the Colonel Power, it was Stall, for the second year in a row, who had the trophy handed to him.
Albert M. Stall Memorial
Lake Lucerne broke a 12-race losing streak and led a Godolphin one-two finish winning the $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial Stakes by two lengths over Soft Touch.
The 6-year-old mare who began her career in England with trainer John Gosden captured her first stakes race while visiting the winner’s circle for the first time since September 2021.
Six times stakes-placed, the 6-year-old daughter of Dubawi and Round Pond, by Awesome Again, stuck closer to the leader Saturday than she had in recent starts, sitting third. When Tyler Gaffalione, who had ridden the mare for the first time here last month, tipped her to the far outside in upper stretch, Lake Lucerne came with a definitive rally.
But to hear Gaffalione, the Stall was won before and just after the start as much as in the homestretch.
“We gave her a little better warm-up today, a stronger warm-up,” Gaffalione said. “She broke a little bit better.”
Lake Lucerne’s Brendan Walsh-trained stablemate My Philly Twirl went to the lead and set splits of 23.98 and 50.10 with Soft Touch a few lengths behind in second, and Lake Lucerne tracking behind her. Island Hideaway went for an early inside run at the three-eighths pole, displacing My Philly Twirl on the lead and angling out to get onto what’s been the better part of the Fair Grounds course.
Soft Touch reeled in Island Hideaway before the eighth pole but had no answer when Lake Lucerne came to her while holding second by two lengths over third-place Trail Ridge Road.
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The favorite, Lake Lucerne paid $5.40 to win and was timed in 1:48.07 for about 1 1/16 miles over a firm course. Lake Lucerne earned an 86 Beyer Speed Figure.
* Denington ($18.60) likely earned a start in the Louisiana Derby with a late-running win in a first-level dirt-route allowance race on Saturday’s card.
Denington, dropping from three stakes in his eighth race, got up by a neck over Cagliostro, who ran well in defeat making just his second start. Banishing, the 2-1 favorite, stalked the pace and faded to a distant fifth.
Well-regarded First Defender pushed the pace and went evenly to the wire for fourth. Winning time for 1 1/16 miles was a good 1:44.41. The race resulted in a 91 Beyer for Denington.
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