Winning Time's Pennsylvania Nursery score a family affair for DeMasi barn

Winning Time looks like the real deal after backing up an impressive 11-length debut victory at Parx Racing on Nov. 7 with a gritty score Tuesday in the $200,000 Pennsylvania Nursery for 2-year-old Pennsylvania-breds at seven furlongs.

The other stakes on the card was the $75,000 filly division of the Future Stars Stakes for 2-year-olds at six furlongs.

Breeder-owner-trainer Kate DeMasi conditioned Winning Time’s first two dams, Merry’s Pegasus and Merry Princess. The latter won 11 races from 25 starts, including three stakes for turf sprinters, for career earnings of $319,164.

DeMasi’s Pewter Stable purchased Winning Time’s sire, Winchill, for $52,000 out of the Heiligbrodt dispersal at Fasig-Tipton in 2011. Campaigned by a partnership, Winchill won four races for DeMasi, including the $75,000 First Responder Stakes at Parx in 2013.

“My groom actually rubbed both sire and dam so it’s like totally a family affair,” DeMasi said by phone after the race.

Winning Time is the second stakes winner sired by Winchill, a 14-year-old son of Tapit.

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Winning Time showed good speed from the far outside post in the 11-horse Nursery but settled into a three-wide pace-pressing position outside of All Eyes On You and a ground-saving Ninetyprcentmaddie through an opening split of 22.36 seconds.

Ninetyprcentmaddie, unbeaten in three previous starts, was the first to back off the lead, and Winning Time took aim on All Eyes On You from the two path after four furlongs in a spritely 45.55.

Winning Time grabbed the lead outside the three-sixteenths, fended off upper-stretch bids from both Ninetyprcentmaddie and undefeated multiple stakes-winner Gordian Knot, then stayed to his task under jockey Silvestre Gonzalez to defeat fast-closing 80-1 shot Veeson by three-quarters of a lengths in 1:26.48.

“I was a little concerned [about the quick fractions], but I also know that Silvestre is not the type to just be scrubbing on him at that point. I knew he was just sitting on him, so I knew it was a matter that he was going to attempt to get to the lead. The question was whether he’d hold on for the seven-eighths.”

Favored Gordian Knot, who broke awkwardly before making a menacing outside mid-race move, was another neck back in third, followed by Ninetyprcentmaddie, Keithsendshelloooo, All Eyes On You, Respirator, Strawberry Treat, Picture This, Bejuco, and Paynted Warrior. Spendolini was scratched

Winning Time returned $7.80 as the third choice in the betting. The Pennsylvania Nursery was jockey Silvestre Gonzalez’s third victory on the program.

DeMasi’s preliminary plans are to give Winning Time “a break over the winter.” She believes he might be at “tweener” as it pertains to distance.

“I don’t necessarily see him as a two-turn horse, but you never say never in this business.”

Future Stars Filly Division

Girl Trouble had no trouble in the open Future Stars Stakes as jockey Paco Lopez was merely a passenger aboard the daughter of Fast Anna.

Trained by Butch Reid for Swilcan Stable and LC Racing, Girl Trouble prompted Beatiful Karla’s early fractions of 22.72 and 47.39, took over at will turning into the stretch, and sauntered under the wire six lengths better than Gold Medal Anna.

It was another 2 1/4 lengths back to Blome in third. Then came Beatiful Karla, Creative Copy, Can’t Complain, Precious Avary, and Mendelian.

Beatiful Karla was disqualified from fourth and placed last due to interference in the opening furlong that adversely affected both Mendelian and Can’t Complain.

Girl Trouble completed six furlongs in 1:13.46 and returned $3.20 as the prohibitive favorite.

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Bred in New Jersey by Gregory Kilka and Bright View Farm, Girl Trouble sold for $15,000 as a yearling. She has won three of six starts for career earnings of $160,500, and has never finished off the board.

She placed second in her career debut at Monmouth on June 4, finishing three-quarters of a length behind next-out stakes winner Sweet Harmony.

Girl Trouble graduated in her second start, a restricted maiden special at Monmouth Park on July 16, then finished second, beaten a half-length in a two-life allowance at Parx on Sept. 26.

After finishing a well-beaten third in the White Clay Creek stakes at Delaware Park traveling a mile over muddy going on Oct. 14 - a race where Reid felt she didn’t handle the track - Girl Trouble prepped for the Future Stars with an authoritative eight-length victory in a first-level allowance over a muddy Parx track on Nov. 1.

With Girl Trouble’s victory, the red-hot Reid barn has won four stakes on three circuits over the past eight days. Last week, they sent out Eloquist to capture the Discovery at Aqueduct, Ridin With Biden to take the Turkey Trot at Parx, and Disco Ebo to snag the Youngstown Oaks at Mahoning Valley.

* The $75,000 Future Stars Stakes colts division was rescheduled for Monday, Dec. 5 after failing to attract enough entries. Unbeaten Howgreatisnate and recent maiden winner Daydreaming Boy look like the strongest contenders.

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