Twice as Sweet pulls away in Smart Halo Stakes

LAUREL, Md. – ­“She’s tough,” jockey Feargal Lynch exclaimed as he guided Twice as Sweet back to the Laurel Park winner’s circle after the $100,000 Smart Halo Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs.

Pulling Twice as Sweet up after the wire was the only difficult task Lynch faced as the Godolphin homebred breezed to a comprehensive 6 1/2-length victory over Miss Georgie. It was another neck back to Gormley’s Gabriela in third.

Twice as Sweet broke nicely and settled comfortably in second position as favored Dissolute gradually edged to the lead following a somewhat tardy break.

Dissolute, trained by Cathal Lynch, completed the opening quarter in 22.53 seconds on a track rated good, but Twice as Sweet set upon her from the outside after a half-mile in 46.03.

From there, it was a one-horse race. Under a confident Lynch, Twice as Sweet drew away from Dissolute and all the rest. She stepped the three-quarters in 1:10.48 and returned $9 as the fourth choice in the wagering.

After Gormley’s Gabriela came Diamondsifyoudo, Dissolute, Shiny Slam, and Bound by Destiny.

Maryland Million Lassie winner Chickieness scratched.

“She ran well,” winning trainer Brendan Walsh said from Ireland via telephone after the race. “The goal was to get a stakes win under her belt. Hopefully, there are bigger and better things to come.”

“I was trying to jog her back, and she’s just on the muscle,” Lynch said in the winner’s circle. “Brendan says she’s small, she’s compact, and she just likes to get on with things. She wears earplugs, but she’s got an engine under there.”

Lynch mentioned it was helpful to be close to the pace on this racetrack.

“Every race I’ve watched so far this week, ever since it rained, you have to be in second position and make that one run, and get off the rail,” he said.

“Unlucky with the pace scenario, missed the break a little bit,” said assistant trainer Anthony Lynch of Dissolute, who made her first start since an impressive debut victory on Oct. 13 at Delaware. “It happens. It’s horse racing. We’re going to scope her and check everything.”

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Twice as Sweet is a daughter of Candy Ride and Grade 3 winner Snowbell. Her second dam, Burmilla, captured the Grade 2 Honorable Miss Handicap at Saratoga in 2007. This is the family of graded stakes winners Magicalmysterycat and Nannerl.

James F. Lewis Stakes

Favored Recruiter ($4.60) remained unbeaten from three starts after earning his first stakes victory in the $100,000 James F. Lewis Stakes for 2-year-olds at six furlongs.

Trained by Cathal Lynch for Lynch Racing and Nick Sanna Stables, Recruiter broke best of the field, but came to hand nicely to sit in second outside hard-ridden longshot Coffeewithchris.

Recruiter and jockey Angel Cruz took over the lead soon after the opening quarter of 22.53 was posted, burst away from Coffeewithchris after a half-mile in 45.29, and held off the game Honeyquist to prevail by 2 3/4 lengths in a spritely 1:09.70.

Heldish finished another 2 3/4 lengths behind in third. They were followed by Coffeewithchris, Tiz No Clown, and Riccio. Where Is Mike scratched.

“He’s just very talented,” assistant trainer Anthony Lynch said of Recruiter. “The day he walked into the barn, he just stood out among all of our 2-year-olds.”

“I didn’t send the horse,” Cruz said. “He settled very well. When Coffeewithchris went on inside of me, it was easy for me to relax my horse. Honeyquist didn’t pressure me the whole way, so I had a really good comfortable lead. He just cruised on to victory.”

Recruiter completed a four-bagger on the Saturday program for Cruz.

“It’s a special day,” Cruz said. “It’s my first time winning four races on one day.”

Recruiter sold for $125,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. June sale and is from the first crop of Army Mule. His second dam, Ada’s Dream, was a stakes-placed dirt sprinter from the family of graded turf winners Commitisize and Buffalo Man.

Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes

Hybrid Eclipse ($8) took advantage of a hot and contested pace when winning the $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles.

Hybrid Eclipse broke from a difficult outside post position with a short run into the first turn and rated three wide in last as Baby Man and favored Malibu Beauty sparred through fractions of 23.20 and 47.53.

Malibu Beauty eventually got the better of the speed duel and held a short lead with three-sixteenths to race. The early battle took its toll, however, and Berate was the first to seriously challenge with an outside bid.

Jockey Sheldon Russell split rivals aboard Hybrid Eclipse on the second turn, followed Berate’s live cover, snuck through inside that foe, and set sail after Malibu Beauty. She made the front for good in the stretch and strutted home three lengths better than Berate.

Champagne Toast nipped Malibu Beauty for third, two lengths behind the runner-up. Then came Click to Confirm, Breviary, and Baby Man. Beguine, runner-up in Oaklawn’s Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes during the spring, was scratched.

Hybrid Eclipse raced the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.05.

“The racetrack took a lot of water,” winning trainer Brittany Russell said in the winner’s circle. “When it dries out, it can be very laboring. For her to do what she did, she ran a game race.”

Owned by Stuart Grant’s The Elkstone Group, Hybrid Eclipse was bred in Kentucky by Alex Venneri Racing. She is a 4-year-old daughter of Paynter from the family of millionaire Twice the Vice and has won 6 of 17 starts for earnings of $361,824.

* Jeiron Barbosa, the meet’s leading rider, was off his Saturday mounts due to injuries incurred in a spill at Parx Racing earlier in the week. The good news is that the initial diagnosis, a fracture of a small bone in his hand, was inaccurate. Barbosa worked horses on Saturday morning at Laurel and is aiming to return to action Friday afternoon.

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