Wonderment scores in Lynbrook for second win in 11 days
ELMONT, N.Y. – Two races in 11 days and Wonderment has gone from unraced 2-year-old filly to undefeated stakes winner.
Running back just 10 days after overcoming trouble to win her debut, Wonderment had no trouble disposing of five rivals in the $125,000 Lynbrook Stakes for New York-bred juvenile fillies at Belmont Park, taking over from the pace-setting Young Anna Lee in upper stretch and drawing clear under Javier Castellano to win by 6 3/4 lengths. Young Anna Lee, a maiden making her second start, finished second, 3 1/4 lengths clear of Bag of Tricks, a first-time starter.
In her debut, Wonderment steadied sharply near the three-eighths pole, recovered, and rallied to win by 1 3/4 lengths with Joel Rosario up. Rosario had committed to ride Bag of Tricks in this spot, which paved the way for Castellano to pick up the mount.
Wonderment, who does not race on Lasix, broke from post 4 in the six-horse field and sat just off the flank of Young Anna Lee through an opening quarter of 22.96 seconds before creeping up alongside after a quarter in 46.65.
In upper stretch, Castellano asked Wonderment to run, and by midstretch, she was well clear. Wonderment, a daughter of Cosmonaut owned by Magdalena Racing and Chris Sterbenz and trained by Ken McPeek, covered the six furlongs in 1:11.47 and returned $5.30 as the 8-5 favorite.
“Everybody said, ‘Oh, you’re not supposed to run to them back like that,’ ” said Jeff Odintz, the Belmont-based assistant to McPeek. “Look, if you let the horses tell you what they’re able to do, I guess it doesn’t really make a difference. … She did that for fun. She did it even easier than I thought she would do it.”
Castellano said he never used the stick on Wonderment, who now will likely wait for the $200,000 Seeking the Ante Stakes for New York-bred fillies Aug. 28 at Saratoga.
“She broke well, I don’t take away anything that comes easy, and she put me in a good spot,” Castellano said. “Very professional. I was loaded. When I asked her, she responded very good, galloped out very good and steady.”