Strike Your Light wins turf debut in Green Carpet
Triple Crown nominee Strike Your Light, making his turf debut, led a one-two finish for trainer Tom Drury and owner Maccabee Farm in Sunday’s $75,000 Green Carpet Stakes for Ohio-bred 3-year-olds at Belterra Park.
Stretching out to 1 1/16 miles after finishing second in the 6 1/2-furlong Tall Stack on Belterra’s main track three weeks earlier, Strike Your Light ($15.40) got a perfect trip, sitting third, 1 1/2 lengths in back of dueling leaders Hansenation and Tiz a Melody. He blew by both those horses in midstretch and drew off to win by five lengths under Malcolm Franklin.
Strike Your Light’s uncoupled stablemate, Tough It Up, winner of the Best of Ohio Juvenile in his only previous route race, rallied from last of nine to finish second as the 2-1 favorite. Cake Pop, coming off a win in the Tall Stack, finished third by a head. Hansenation, who led through the first six furlongs in 1:11.91, faded to fourth.
Tiz a Melody, the only turf winner in the field and a stakes victor against open company last season, was a disappointment in his first start against statebreds. He faded to fifth as the 3-1 third choice.
A son of Majestic Warrior, Strike Your Light completed the distance on firm turf in 1:42.02 for his third win in seven starts.