Who Took the Money surges to Louisiana Champions Day Turf victory
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
Who Took the Money went 3-0-2 in his last five starts, all on dirt, and has won six times in eight career dirt starts with earnings over the surface of nearly $270,000. All that, and a switch back to turf Saturday brought out the best in the Louisiana-bred gelding, who stormed home to a 2 1/2-length score in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Turf.
“He’s got that real big turn of foot on the turf. He has it on dirt, too, but not quite as strong,” said Deshawn Parker, who’s ridden Who Took the Money his last eight starts.
Who Took the Money raced nearer the tail of the field in this 1 1/16-mile contest for older Louisiana-breds and made his run about five paths wide – favorable circumstances when the temporary turf rail is placed far out in the Fair Grounds course. The rail Saturday sat at 34 feet, as far out as it can go, with the inner part of the course still recovering from saline poisoning. Accidentally irrigated with salt water, the course was deemed unusable last month on Louisiana Champions Day, which led to the Champions Day turf being placed on this card with two other statebred-restricted races.
Maga Man took an early lead over Play Mo and Charlie G in the Champions Day Turf, Budro Talking and Ballinonabudjet swooping past Who Took the Money around the first turn to relegate the odds-on favorite to sixth of eight down the backstretch. Parker sat chilly until the quarter pole – or perhaps he just sat on Who Took the Money’s back, waiting for the horse to pick up his pace.
“I pretty much let him do his own thing,” Parker said. “He tells me what to do.”
Cornering for home, Who Took the Money told Parker it was time to go. With a powerful burst, he put several lengths on Smarty Alex, who’d moved with him while racing on the far outside in upper stretch. Smarty Alex stayed on well to hold second, but this race was over at the eighth pole.
Fractional and final times are all but meaningless with the turf rail so far out, but off a half-mile split of 52.90, Who Took the Money ($2.80) was timed in 1:50.59 for about 1 1/16 miles on firm going. Budro Talking finished third as the pace players retreated through the homestretch.
Who Took the Money is a homebred owned by Chester Thomas’s Allied Racing. The 5-year-old gelding is by Street Boss out of Speights Colony, by Speightstown. Leading trainer Bret Calhoun said connections would keep Who Took the Money with Louisiana-bred turf horses until they ran out of such options during 2023.
*** Gary P. Palmisano
Bron and Brow wore down his Mark Casse-trained stablemate Swot Analysis through the final furlong and won the $75,000 Gary P. Palmisano Stakes by a neck.
Likely running the best race of his career, Bron and Brow clocked a lively 1:10.24 for six furlongs on a dirt track yielding relatively slow times Saturday. The top two home proved much the best in this race for Louisiana-breds, though pacesetting Mike J ran well to hold a clear third after setting a solid pace, 22.15 and 45.56.
Swot Analysis stalked and pressed the leader from second while Brian Hernandez Jr. plunked Bron and Brow just behind the pace while saving ground around the turn. Hernandez spun outside the leaders in upper stretch as Bron and Brow cut into Swot Analysis’s lead with an eighth mile left, getting up in the final strides with a game run. The 2-1 favorite, Bron and Brow paid $6.80.
Bron and Brow won for the fourth time in 10 starts, most of which have come under the everyday care of assistant trainer David Caroll at Fair Grounds. Bron and Brow got a terrible trip in the 2021 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile, then won the Louisiana Futurity, returning from an extended layoff Dec. 15 to capture a Louisiana-bred allowance race. Owned by Gary Barber, Bron and Brow was sold at a 2-year-old auction for $200,000. Bred by J Adcock and Hume Wornall, 4-year-old Bron and Brow is by Gormley out of Changing Vista, by Changeintheweather.
*** Bob Wright
The $68,250 Bob F. Wright Memorial Stakes was supposed to be dominated by Ova Charged, but with that heavy morning-line favorite scratched, odds-on Free Like a Girl won the six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares by 2 3/4 lengths over Ova Charged’s Jose Camejo-trained stablemate Spirited Beauty. Winning Romance was a distant last of three as Snowball also was scratched.
Free Like a Girl just had raced a week ago, finishing second in an off-turf renewal of the $75,000 Pago Hop, an open-route race for 3-year-old fillies. Back in with statebred-restricted competition, she showed her versatility in cutting back to a sprint, racing on the lead with Spirited Beauty before putting her way in upper stretch. Pedro Cotto Jr. rode Free Like a Girl for trainer Chasey Pomier, who’s a part owner of the filly along with Gerald Bruno, Carl Deville, and Jerry Caroom.
Free Like a Girl clocked 1:11.26 over a fast track and paid $3.20. Bred by Kim Renee Stover and Lisa Osborne, Free Like a Girl is by El Deal out of Flashy Prize, by Flashy Bull.
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