MID-ATLANTIC THREE STARS: AUGUST 22

  • userJohn Piassek
  • dateAugust 22, 2022

Plenty of racing action took place throughout the Mid-Atlantic this past week.

Here’s a look at the “three stars” of each track:

Laurel Park

#6 Informative ridden by Jockey Dexter Haddock won the $250,000 Grade III Philip H. Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, NJ on Saturday August 20,2022. Photo By Ryan Denver/EQUI-PHOTO

FIRST STAR: RUDY SANCHEZ-SOLOMON. The summer meet training race came down to the last day of the season, but Sanchez-Solomon prevailed over Claudio Gonzalez, 19 wins to 18, to clinch his first career training title. Sanchez-Solomon, who saddled his first winner in 2017, was tied with Gonzalez at 18 wins apiece going into the weekend. Gonzalez was blanked all three days, but Sanchez-Solomon saddled Please Marry me in race 1 to take a lead he would not relinquish. With more than four months left in 2022, Sanchez-Solomon has already set career-high totals in wins (44) and earnings ($1,437,627)

SECOND STARS: JEVIAN TOLEDO AND HORACIO KARAMANOS. These two Maryland veterans shared the Laurel summer riding title, winning 31 races each. Toledo led by two going into the weekend, but Karamanos rode three winners between Saturday and Sunday, while Toledo notched just one Sunday winner. They each had mounts in the seventh race, and although both their horses closed well late, neither could get up for the win. Toledo was defeated in race 8, a race where Karamanos did not have a mount, to ensure the tie. It was Toledo’s tenth Maryland title, and Karamanos’s seventh.

THIRD STAR: EXCELLORATOR. This Maryland-bred veteran won for the third time this year on Friday, taking a second-level allowance optional claiming race by a length. Under Jean Alvelo, he drafted behind horses entering the stretch, then was shifted towards the rail and began charging through. Thanks to vigorous urging from Alvelo, he took charge in the last sixteenth for the win, covering the mile in 1:37.45. He’s owned by Larry Rabold and trained by Hugh McMahon.

Delaware Park

FIRST STAR: JOHN HIRALDO. Hiraldo had a big day on Wednesday, with four winners from five mounts. Two of his victories came on horses trained by Chelsey Moysey, taking race 1 on Mean Tweets and race 7 with Chief Ron. In between, he scored in the 4th race aboard Gunslinger and race 5 on My Beau. Hiraldo added another win on Thursday, boosting his meet total to 17 wins, good for eighth place in the standings.

SECOND STAR: THISNAMEISOKAY. On Thursday, this 3-year-old filly won her third consecutive race of the Delaware season, As the slight 3-1 favorite in a starter optional claiming contest on the grass, she quickly opened up a long early lead and never looked back, crossing the wire seven lengths in front. She ran 7 1/2 furlongs in 1:28.14, for owner Selvin Hernandez Cano, trainer Steve Cooper, and Jhonatan Mendoza. Her Equibase figure of 99 from Thursday’s race is a career-top.

THIRD STAR: GUNSLINGER. As noted above, one of Hiraldo’s winners on Wednesday was Gunslinger, who won for the fourth time at Delaware this year. As the 7-2 second choice in 1 1/16-mile grass allowance contest, he went gate-to-wire and crossed the line 3/4 of a length in front, holding off the late charge of Souper Emperor to secure the win. He’s owned by Flying Pheasant Farm LLC, and trained by Mark Beecher.

Charles Town Races

FIRST STAR: FULL MOON LOVER. This Maryland-sired, West Virginia-bred filly won her fifth consecutive race on Thursday. As the 3-5 favorite in an open n/w1x allowance race at 4 1/2 furlongs, she broke on top and opened up strongly in the stretch to win by 4 1/4 lengths, covering the distance in 52.64 seconds. The win also pushed her career earnings past the six-figure mark, to $119,613. Ronney Brown trains and co-owns the winner with Nicole Brown. Carlos Lopez was in the saddle.

SECOND STAR: CHANGE THE WORLD. Earlier on the Thursday card, another West Virginia-bred 3-year-old filly turned in a promising performance. This Jeff Runco trainee stalked the pace early in the seven-furlong contest, then moved into a three-path to engage with favorite and early leader Yolo Charlotte. In the stretch, she wore Yolo Charlotte down and got up to win by 3/4 of a length for her second consecutive triumph. She’s a homebred for Coleswood Farm Inc who was ridden by Arnaldo Bocachica.

THIRD STAR: JAMES ADAMS. Friday’s 8th race was a memorable one for apprentice James Adams. In just his fifth career mount, he won his first race, guiding Global Empress to a gate-to-wire, 5 1/4-length victory for owner Hasty Rebel Stables LLC and trainer Patricia Anderson. Adams, who had his first mount on July 28 at Charles Town, has a career record of six mounts, one win, and two seconds, with earnings of $20,328.

Monmouth Park

FIRST STAR: INFORMATIVE. A wide trip and a fast pace couldn’t slow down Informative in Saturday’s Philip H. Iselin Stakes, which he won by 1 1/2 lengths in a 14-1 upset. Five of the six horses in the race battled on the early pace, including Informative, who broke from the outside post. Despite racing wide the whole way, he had plenty left to give entering the stretch and pulled clear late from stubborn favorite Highly Motivated and Promise Keeper, the only one who rated off the pace. It was Informative’s first win since June 2021, when the won the Salvator Mile on this track in a 79-1 upset. Dexter Haddock had the mount, for his first graded stakes victory, for owner Trin-Brook Stables Inc and trainer Uriah St. Lewis.

SECOND STAR: VEDAREO. The half-sister of 2020 2-year-old filly champion Vequist earned some credentials of her own on Sunday, winning the Sorority Stakes. She broke her maiden impressively on debut at Parx, but finished fifth in the Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga next out. As such, she went off at 9-1 in her two-turn debut. Frankie Pennington put her on the early lead and opened up a clear lead as they approached the half-mile point. From there, she slowly pulled away and won by six lengths, running a mile in 1:38.43. She’s owned by her breeder, Swilcan Stable LLC, and trained by Robert Reid Jr.

THIRD STAR: LONESOME FUGITIVE. Friday’s featured event was a second-level allowance optional claiming event at 1 1/16 miles on the grass. Lonesome Fugitive, returning to Monmouth after a trip to Belmont Park for his last start, surged to the front once he found running room and wore down It Can be Done late to win by a neck. It was his second win of the year from five starts. He’s owned by John Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock Services, trained by Chad Brown, and ridden by Samy Camacho.

COLONIAL DOWNS

FIRST STAR; KING VEGA. Colonial hosted four stakes races last Tuesday, as part of the MATCH Series. In the Buckland Stakes, for older male grass horses, King Vega went gate-to-wire to win by 1 1/2 lengths. In the process, he set a new track record, running 1 1/8 miles on the inner grass course in 1:48.68. He began racing in the United States for Graham Motion this spring, and has won twice from five starts with earnings of more than $132,000. He’s owned by HPG Thoroughbreds LLC and by Angel Suarez.

SECOND STAR: DIDIA. One race prior, fillies and mares met for a 1 1/16-mile clash in the TAA Old Nelson Stakes. Didia, after rating in mid-pack most of the way, found a hole between horses in the stretch and got up to win by a neck over Alms as the slight 3-1 favorite. A multiple grade 1 winner in Argentina, she’s now 2-for-2 in the United States, with both of her American wins coming at Colonial Downs. A graded stakes start is likely in her near future. Vincent Cheminaud was in the saddle for owner Merriebelle Stable and trainer Ignacio Correas IV.

THIRD STAR: JALEN JOURNEY. Later on the card, the Chesapeake Stakes went to Jalen Journey in a 16-1 upset, thanks to a disqualification. Necker Island crossed the wire first by a neck, but was disqualified for coming in down the stretch and causing interference to Factor It In, who crossed the line third. As such, Jalen Journey was put up as the winner, for his second win of the Colonial season and his first stakes victory since last September’s DeFrancis Dash. He’s owned by Built Wright Stables LLC, trained by Norman Cash, and ridden by Angel Arroyo.

Region’s Best

  1. Informative- Overcame wide trip for Iselin win.
  2. King Vega
  3. Didia

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