Stonewall Star jumps to early lead, keeps it in Key Cents

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Stonewall Star didn’t want to get into the gate. But once out of it, she couldn’t be caught in Sunday’s $100,000 Key Cents Stakes at Aqueduct.

After giving the gate crew a little trouble loading, Stonewall Star shot to the front under Jose Ortiz when the doors opened and never yielded, scoring a four-length victory in the Key Cents for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies. Weekend Rags, who chased Stonewall Star from second from the start, held that spot by a neck over Security Code. Dream On Cara, Three Unions, and Small Pebbles completed the order of finish.

Stonewall Star, a daughter of Flatter owned and bred by Barry Schwartz and trained by Horacio De Paz, won for the second time in four starts. She was coming off a third-place finish against males in the New York Breeders’ Futurity at Finger Lakes, where she was beaten one length.

“She moved forward off that race at Finger Lakes, it was a good step,” De Paz said.

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Ortiz said he was surprised that Stonewall Star acted up at the gate, to the point where she needed several assistant starters to get her loaded. But when the doors sprang open, Stonewall Star quickly made the lead, getting clear through fractions of 23.17 seconds for the quarter and 47.59 for the half-mile. She covered the six furlongs in 1:13.48 and returned $2.90 to win.

“She didn’t want to go in the gate, that was weird, she didn’t do that last time,” Ortiz said. “After the break, I just guided her to the wire. She was much the best.”

De Paz noted that Stonewall Star “can be a little fiery. She was on her toes. The gate crew, they know her, she was definitely trying to not be compliant. But then she went in and maybe caught a flier and caught a good spot.”

De Paz said he would ultimately like to try Stonewall Star against open company next year. The New York Racing Association hasn’t yet released its 2023 stakes schedule.

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