Storm's Wake unleashes late run to nip Soloist in Old Dominion Oaks
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Storm’s Wake needed every bit of a monstrous rally to take down Soloist in the $250,000 Old Dominion Oaks on Monday at Colonial Downs. The 3-5 favorite was confidently handled by jockey Samuel Marin and competed gamely to outfinish her inside rival by a head.
“She was coming off the layoff, but we had enough training in her, and she was game enough to get it done,” trained Brian Lynch said. “We’re all very excited about it. She’s starting to put a nice little résumé together.”
Storm’s Wake’s first start off a two-month layoff was also her first in listed stakes company in eight months. Lynch has not been afraid to test his 3-year-old filly this year and entered her in six straight graded stakes between February and July. She never finished worse than fifth during that stretch and won the Grade 2 Appalachian at Keeneland in April, making her the class of the field in her return to Colonial.
Three horses scratched from the field of 11 3-year-olds fillies, including the 9-2 morning-line favorite Embrace Time. Storm’s Wake might have been bet down anyway, but that defection made it inevitable. She paid $3.40 to win.
Soloist, the 9-2 second choice trained by Kenny McPeek, briefly contended for the early lead, but jockey Emmanuel Esquivel decided to back off when the 11-1 shot Fond of You hustled forward under Paco Lopez into the first turn. The last-out allowance winner ambled through an opening quarter-mile in 25.14 seconds.
Dagmara, another outsider trained by Brad Cox, pressed the pace on the backstretch, but the pace remained slow in the 1 1/8-mile race. Fond of You completed the half-mile in 49.85 and briefly seemed live exiting the far turn, but she eventually capitulated to the stalkers behind.
“The way Paco slowed them down early and backed them up, I was frightened,” Lynch said. “He can be very dangerous on the lead like that sometimes, and we were laying in a good enough spot. But when he slowed them down I thought we had to get within range because it's going to turn into a sprint home.”
Storm’s Wake, who sat in fourth under Marin for most of the race, did not need much urging to launch into contention on the far turn. While she was steadily advancing past Fond of You at the top of stretch, Marin took a peek under his right arm in search of competition and found none. He had no way to see Soloist and Esquivel slip through a gap on the rail until they were already in a stretch duel.
As soon as Fond of You backed out of the top flight, Storm’s Wake seemed to naturally move in several paths to challenge Soloist, who bided all her time on the rail to sneak into contention. The two matched strides all the way to the wire.
Esquivel kept the McPeek trainee to task and nearly stole the race, but she could not deny Storm’s Wake, who was simply traveling too well on the outside. The filly held her advantage all the way home, completing the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:48.60.
Before the race, Lynch said he was thinking of using the Old Dominion Oaks as a prep for the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland in October. If he proceeds with that plan, Storm’s Wake will re-enter graded stakes competition after surviving a supremely stiff test at Colonial.
Siouxse, a 15-1 longshot trained by Graham Motion, never seriously contended for a victory but picked up the pieces to finish third, 1 3/4 lengths behind Soloist and 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Thankfulness.
Just a Touch bounces back in Colonial Cup
Just a Touch bounced back from a 73 1/2-length graded stakes defeat to win the $150,000 Colonial Cup on Monday. Despite his faltering finish in the Grade 2 United Nations at Monmouth Park in July, he has clearly proven himself to be a stakes-quality turf marathoner.
After winning the $200,000 Cape Henlopen at Delaware Park by 3 1/2 lengths in June, trainer Brad Cox seemed to be making a sensible decision when he took the next step with the 5-year-old in New Jersey. He caved early on a good turf course and was eased in the stretch.
Bettors at Colonial had little trouble putting a line through his last effort, as Just a Touch went off at 3-5 in the Colonial Cup and paid $3.40 to win. Carcano, an improving gelding trained by Victoria Oliver, made a race of it at the end, but the heavy favorite dug in to win by a head.
Geroux could not have had Just a Touch in a better position early, choosing to stalk in third behind the longshots Prevent and Benjis Benefit.
The top pair briefly scrapped entering the far turn for the first time before Prevent recklessly charged ahead by three lengths, completing the opening quarter-mile in 23.30 seconds. Jockey Jevian Toledo managed to slow down the pacesetter through a half-mile in 48.29, but the damage had already been done.
Just a Touch bided his time through the first stretch run and allowed the top flight to come back to him on the backstretch. When he advanced on the leaders entering the far turn, they were completely powerless and quickly ceded command before fading.
The race began in earnest in the final quarter-mile, with Just a Touch opening up by a length and Carcano charging forward from fourth. Hardspun Reason was briefly in contention but flattened out, leaving it to Carcano to run down the favorite.
Axel Concepcion, who was looking for his second stakes victory of the day, made a determined run from eighth with Carcano and might have had the most horse left near the end, but Just a Touch still had plenty to offer and kept him at bay at the wire. He completed the 1 1/2-mile distance in 2:26.66.
Write Off Jerry, a 13-1 outsider trained by Jamie Ness, rallied from seventh to finish third, 2 3/4 lengths behind Carcano.
Once a stakes contender on dirt, Just a Touch developed a reputation as a high-level also-ran, racking up five finishes in the money in graded stakes without a breakthrough. He has not completely shaken that reputation yet on turf, but with two stakes victories in his last three starts, he is clearly on his way on a new surface for Cox.
Spirited Sol upsets Da Hoss
Spirited Sol pulled off a 25-1 shocker in the $150,000 Da Hoss Staked in the final race of the season at Colonial Downs, rallying from last and surging between horses under Martina Rojas to win the 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint by 1 1/4 lengths.
Rojas, who began riding in the Mid-Atlantic at age 18 in 2023, has now earned her second and third career stakes victories aboard Spirited Sol, having guided the gelding home in the $100,000 Karl Boyes at Presque Isle Downs earlier this summer.
Six horses scratched from the Da Hoss’s field of 12 older males, but bettors still didn’t make time for Spirited Sol on the far outside. The 8-year-old gelding paid $53.20 to win in his second stakes victory this year.
After winning the Karl Boyes on synthetic in July for trainer Kimberly Depasquale, Spirited Sol finished in the money in his next three starts on three different surfaces. The Florida-bred switched back to turf last time out and finished a game third behind Whenigettoheaven and Determined Kingdom, talented sprinters would not have gone off at 25-1 if they had run in the Da Hoss.
Souper Quest, who defeated Spirited Sol in the $100,000 Wolf Hill on dirt in July, set the early pace again at Colonial, kicking clear through an opening quarter-mile in 22.53 seconds. He maintained command while completing the half-mile in 44.73, but the 6-5 favorite Governor Sam was already bearing down on him and took over soon after.
In a shortened field lacking most of his usual rivals, Governor Sam took a short lead at the top of the stretch and had every reason to keep moving forward to a diminished stakes victory. He failed to fire from there, however, and a slew of challengers were quick to pick up the pieces behind him.
Souper Quest dug in under Sonny Leon on the inside and briefly took back the lead, while Creed’s Vision slipped through a gap on the rail to challenge.
But with a massive rally from last, Spirited Sol got the better of all of them, angling out and rallying between horses to take over in mid-stretch. Rojas spurred him on to a commanding score and completed the 5 1/2-furlong distance in 1:01.67.
Souper Quest, the dogged pacesetter trained by Mark Casse, held on to second by a nose over Creed’s Vision, who failed to complete his rail move for Arnaud Delacour.
Popcorn takes Kitten's Joy
Popcorn might have been helped by a few key defections in the $125,000 Kitten’s Joy Stakes, but the 4-5 favorite made a bold move on the far turn and easily took care of business by two lengths. The juvenile gelding remains unbeaten and aced his second test around two turns.
“He got spun wide, and sometimes when you get spun that far, it takes you a second to straighten out and get some momentum,” trainer Jonathan Thomas said. “But it looks like even further is going to be better for him as time goes on. He's done little wrong.”
Thomas clearly had the precocious 2-year-old pegged as a turf route runner from the beginning, entering him in a 7 1/2-furlong maiden race at Horseshoe Indianapolis in July. He closed to win that race and did so again in his 1 1/16-mile stakes debut on Monday.
Thomas said Popcorn has frequently trained at Turfway Park alongside Observed, another juvenile debut winner at Horseshoe Indianapolis. That colt shipped to Del Mar and won the Grade 3 Del Mar Juvenile Turf on Saturday, giving Thomas coast-to-coast juvenile stakes victories over the holiday weekend.
“He's had the luxury of breezing with Observed, who won that stake out at Del Mar,” Thomas said. “They’ve been sparring partners the last month. When Observed ran as well as he did at Del Mar, I thought this horse was very, very live today.”
Induction, the 6-5 morning-line favorite, and Perfect Dream, the graded stakes-placed second choice, both scratched, shortening the Kitten’s Joy field to seven juveniles. This only made the work easier for Popcorn, who paid $3.60 to win.
The longshots Fridaynightclub and Call Me Micky J. both rushed to the lead into the first turn, ensuring a quick early pace for the short-priced closers. Fridaynightclub hustled forward from the outside, completing the opening quarter-mile in 23.62 seconds and half-mile in 48.67. Call Me Micky J. chased just behind while Mightily, the 5-2 second choice trained by Jeremiah O’Dwyer, sensibly backed into a stalking position under Samuel Marin.
The dueling top pair were merely setting the table for the contenders farther back, and jockey Axel Concepcion did not wait long to get Popcorn involved on the backstretch. The gelding steadily advanced from sixth before launching a tenacious four-wide bid around the far turn.
Mightily had the first crack at the leaders and briefly matched strides with Popcorn on the inside, but he simply did not have the momentum. Concepcion asked the Thomas trainee for more and he drew off down the center, completing the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:42.37.
Thomas said Popcorn is somewhat limited by his age, as he will not be able to run beyond 1 1/16 miles on turf for some time. The trainer intends to stretch him out even farther in the future.
Heracles, a Florida-bred shipper trained by Ron Spatz, rallied late to finish third, two lengths behind Mightily. The 4-1 third choice finished 7 1/4 lengths clear of the next finisher, Life’s Pageant.
Omaha Spirit wires Rosie's
Omaha Spirit broke sharply and never looked back in the $125,000 Rosie’s Stakes on Monday, picking up her second straight victory against male rivals. The juvenile filly gave Lopez his fourth win on the Colonial card.
Coming off a hard-fought maiden victory at Colonial in early July, trainer Wesley Ward removed blinkers for the filly’s second start off a two-month break. It immediately became clear that she didn’t need them, as the 7-5 favorite surged out of the gate again to quickly take the early lead in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint. She completed the opening quarter-mile in 22.66 seconds and half-mile in 45.62.
Bee Crazy, the other filly in the field of seven trained by Kelsey Danner, chased just behind Omaha Spirit all the way and briefly challenged entering the far turn, but she could not make a bid in the late stages, nor could any of the male contenders behind.
Lopez, who won four of the first six races on the Monday card, had plenty left to make a final drive, and Omaha Spirit opened up by 1 1/2 lengths at the top of the stretch. She was never challenged thereafter and easily held by 1 1/4 lengths, completing the 5 1/2-furlong distance in 1:03.21 and paying $4.80 to win.
The two fillies finished on top in the Rosie’s, as Bee Crazy dug in behind the winner and held off two male rivals by a neck for second. Regent’s Park, a 12-1 outsider trained by Jorge Delgado, and the Blake Kelly-trained maiden Golden Corsair closed from farther back and finished in a dead heat for third.
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