SATURDAY WRAP-UP – IN BRIEF
Monday’s Thoroughblog and –enews mailing (for subscribers) will have more on the weekend racing and other features but here are quick hits:
CODE OF HONOR is back on the Kentucky Derby trail with his win in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and a 95 Beyer Speed Figure. The Will Farish homebred is by Noble Mission – Reunited by Dixie Union. The colt was the first to move to the lead as speedball Hidden Scroll (the sensational debut winner) faded. Bourbon Way closed nicely for second.
Canadian horses had mixed results on the big card. HOLY HELENA got back into winning form with a win in the Grade 3 The Very One, a race she won last year. She is the Queen’s Plate winner from 2 years ago owned and bred by Stronach Stables. Roger Attfield trainee ICKYMASHO was a super 2nd in her first race on the Lasix medication and this 7-year-old mare, stakes placed on Tapeta last year at Woodbine, could be one to watch back home.
The amazing MELMICH rallied for second and ran a 94 Beyer Speed Figure in thr Grade 2 MacDiarmida at 1 3/8 miles on turf.
The 8-year-old was making only his 3rd start on grass in his 44th career race and he sure seems to love the surface. Kevin Attard trains the Ontario bred for Cory Hoffman and Stephen Chesney.
Woodbine Oaks contender BOLD SCRIPT, a Chiefswood 3-year-old filly, trailed in the Grade 2 Davona Dale, her first start on dirt and posted a 79 Beyer Figure. That race had a slow early pace and did not help the filly who was far back early. The 50 to 1 winner of that race, Jeltrin, coming off a gate workout in which she was beaten by an unraced Ontario bred Capture the Music, beat Champion 2-year-old Filly of 2018 Jaywalk who had a drab outing.
My Gal Betty, in the hunt for Champion 2-year-old filly honours at the April 18 Sovereign Awards, finished last in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride Stakes on the grass for owner Bill Werner and trainer Roger Attfield.
And in the bad news department, Santa Anita, which tested its main track this week after many breakdowns, had a horse breakdown yesterday on a sloppy track. So far there is no official word on what the track management plans to do but it is believed there will be some protesting at the track today.
Canadian/Ontario bred HOLY HELENA won the Grade 3 The Very One stakes for the second straight year – Gulfstream Park photo
CELESTIAL STORM UPSETS BOYS IN BARBADOS GOLD CUP
Get Stormy filly stretches out in distance successfully
The grey filly CELESTIAL STORM, tracking a slow pace set by Infrared, surged to victory in the 38th Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup on Saturday at the Garrison Savannah in Bridgetown. This was just the sixth time in 38 runnings that a filly has won and the first win by a filly in 24 years.
Ridden by 22-year-old Rasheed Hughes, Celestial Storm sat a perfect trip along the inside throughout most of the 1 1/87 mile turf race. She collared Infrared just before the finish line while Brave Star and Night Prowler battled for third.
The latter, a graded stakes winner from the U.S. trailed early and had too much ground to make up behind the slow pace.
The winner ran the distance in 1:49 2/5, one of the faster times in the history of the race.
Celestial Storm became the first horse to win the Spa Sprint one year (2018) and the Gold Cup the following year. Owned ans trainer by Roger Parravicino of Barbados, the filly was originally an $8,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland September 2015. She was bought by Parravicino for $14,000 at the Ocala June 2yo sale for $14,000. The filly was bred by Pope McLean, Marc Mclean and Pope McLean Jr.
The filly is the second foal of the mare Raging Storm, who is an unraced daughter of Unbridled Energy.
