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Midlantic stakes recap

by | Jun 26, 2017 | Breaking, Racing, Regionwide

Maritime Pulpit

Maritime Pulpit won the Turning for Home Stakes. Photo By Taylor Ejdys/EQUI-PHOTO

Staff reports

There was stakes action in several spots in the mid-Atlantic over the weekend: a half-dozen state-bred stakes at Laurel Park, the $60,000 Jersey Shore Stakes at Monmouth Park, and the $100,000 Turning for Home, a starter stake at Parx Racing.

The results:

  • Proforma and jockey Joe Bravo won the Jersey Shore Stakes at Monmouth by nearly two lengths in 1:10.14 for six furlongs on a fast main track. “He showed a dominant presence before the race in the post parade,” Bravo said.  “It showed how much horse I was sitting on when he powered to the lead and won with ease.  What a pleasure to ride him for the Stidham crew.” Proforma is trained by Michael Stidham for DARRS, Inc.
  • Maritime Pulpit held on to win the $100,000 Turning for Home Stakes by a neck over Zanotti. The six-year-old Pulpit gelding, with Angel Moreno up, grabbed the early lead and never looked back, completing 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.81. He is trained by Jorge Navarro for Monster Racing Stables. The Turning for Home is limited to horses which have started for a claiming price of $16,000 or less in 2016-17. The race supports the Turning for Home program, which retrains and rehomes off-track Thoroughbreds.

At Laurel Park, there were four stakes for Virginia-bred and -sired horses and two for Maryland-bred and -sired runners.

  • Phlash Phelps was a narrow winner in the Mister Diz Stakes, a sprint on the grass for Maryland-breds.
  • Daylight Ahead won the Jameela, a Maryland-bred turf sprint for fillies and mares.
  • Defending champs among the Virginia-breds had some struggles on the day.
    • Special Envoy upset 3-10 favorite Rose Brier to win the Edward Evans Stakes by a nose in 1:34.38 for one mile on the turf. Daniel Centeno rode for trainer Arnaud Delacour.
    • Tiz Our Time scored a dominant victory in the White Oak Farm Stakes in 1:02.09 for 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf. He was 10.90-1 at post time, and defending champ Two Notch Road was a well-beaten fifth. Jevian Toledo rode for trainer Pete Twisdale.
    • Do What I Say rallied from mid-pack to win the M. Tyson Gilpin Stakes by a length in 1:01.80 for 5 1/2 furlongs. Rapid Rhythm, the 7-10 favorite, never fired and finished seventh. Alex Cintron rode for trainer Mike Trombetta.
    • The lone champ to repeat was Queen Caroline, who took the Nellie Mae Cox by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:36.24 for a mile. It was Cintron’s second win of the day, this one for trainer Michael Matz.