Wonderful Justice holds off Myredwhiteandblue to take Black Gold
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
Brad Cox took a brief break from running 3-year-olds in dirt route stakes races to win a 3-year-old turf route stakes Saturday at Fair Grounds, where Wonderful Justice ran his record to two wins from two starts by capturing the $75,000 Black Gold.
A little more than an hour after Cox watched remotely as Slip Mahoney and Eyeing Clover finished second and fourth in the Gotham, a nominal Kentucky Derby prep at Aqueduct, he watched in person as jockey Colby Hernandez timed it just right with Wonderful Justice.
Stalking pacesetter Reckoning Force from second, Hernandez drove his mount past the leader inside the furlong grounds and held clear a late wide rally from Myredwhiteandblue to win by a neck.
Myredwhiteandblue came from last with a flying finish and was a half-length better than Reckoning Force. Three quarters of a length farther back in fourth was odds-on favorite Andthewinneris, who took a solid bump leaving the starting gate but had position in upper stretch and couldn’t finish the job.
Wonderful Justice paid $15 and was timed in a relatively meaningless 1:49.19 for about 1 1/16 miles over a firm course. The Fair Grounds timing system is fixed to clock races run at a true distance with the rail position at zero. Owing to a damaged inner portion of the course, turf races throughout the meet have been run on the far outside section of the course, the temporary turf rail set at 34 feet.
Wonderful Justice seems perfectly comfortable over the local lawn. He raced somewhat greenly but still managed to debut with a turf-route maiden win Feb. 3 and went about his business more professionally Saturday. A homebred campaigned by Blue Diamond Stud Farm, Wonderful Justice is by Justify out of I’m Wonderful, by Giant’s Causeway.
***Louisiana breds
Big Chopper pulled a rare double, winning the $75,000 Edward Johnston Memorial over one mile on turf Saturday a couple months after capturing the Louisiana Champions Day Sprint at six furlongs on dirt.
Big Chopper ($33.60) had raced competitively, finishing second and third in two previous turf routes, and just did hold on by a nose over onrushing odds-on favorite Who Took the Money. Budro Talking was part of a three-horse photo finishing third.
Trained by Scott Gelner for the colt’s breeder, Kendel Standlee, Big Chopper stalked the pace under Corey Lanerie, took the lead in midstretch, and ran gamely to the wire. He was timed in 1:42.18 as Who Took the Money, who does things at his own pace, didn’t find his best stride until the furlong grounds, finishing fastest but not quite fast enough. Four-year-old Big Chopper is by Shackleford out of Miss Well Molded, by Unusual Heat.
The other Louisiana-bred turf stakes, the female-restricted $75,000 Red Camelia, went to Fort Polk, who had been second in the race a year ago. With Emmanuel Nieves riding for hot trainer Pat Mouton, Fort Polk plugged along with a sustained outside bid from mid-pack, reaching pacesetter Cheapskate Diva at the eighth pole and holding off an inside run from favored A G’s Charlotte by a half-length. Wholelottamo came from last to finish another half-length back in third.
Fort Polk ran about one mile in 1:42.31 and paid $11.60. The 7-year-old, owned by Mouton’s longtime owners, Steve and Pat Roe, is by Behindatthebar and out of Military Miss, by Military.
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