Of the seven wins Virginia-bred horses earned this past weekend, Northern Eclipse was afforded the most breathing room of any while crossing the wire. Five of the seven were by margins of a nose or a neck, and the sixth was by less than a length. The Hugh McMahon trainee won by a comfortable 2 1/2 lengths over Sazerac Girl in a $42,000 allowance test at Laurel on Saturday. Bred by Mr. & Mrs. Bertram Firestone, the 5 year old Northern Afleet mare won her second of the year and increased her lifetime bankroll to $80,625.
Jockey J.D. Acosta guides Northern Eclipse to her third win July 8th at Laurel. Photo by Jim McCue.
A trio of the “close call” horses saw their six digit bankrolls increase even more. 9 year old Simmstown left his race at Prarie Meadows with a $290,508 sum while 10 year old Toccet’s Charm’s ballooned to $248,144 from a claiming race at Hastings. Youngest of the three, 7 year old Titan Alexander, saw his bankroll increase to $161,150 from a triumph at Mountaineer.
Simmstown prevailed by a neck in a $14,500 six furlong starter event where he went five wide in the stretch. The Limehouse gelding has won two straight now at Prarie and has twelve lifetime scores. Out of the Cape Town mare, Ruler’s Charm, Simmstown was bred by the Audley Farm.
Virginia-bred Simmstown is shown dominating the 2013 Kenny Noe Jr. Handicap at Calder. Photo Courtesy Coady Photography.
The Audley Farm also bred Toccet’s Charm, who was a nose better than Street Map and Flemings Beach in a tight photo finish in Canada. The Toccet gelding completed a 1 1/16th miles journey in 1:45.92 while making his 78th start. Out of the Cape Town mare, Ruler’s Charm, Toccet’s Charm rallied four wide in the final turn to carve out his 21st victory.
Titan Alexander took the lead of his $12,000, seven furlong race at the half, then held off fast closing Glenstal Abbey by a neck at the wire to record his first win of 2017 and tenth overall. Bred by Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin and owned by Ernest Haynes, the victor is out Fabulous Fame by Cherokee Colony.
Virginia-bred Street Miz got to the winners circle Sunday at Laurel, crossing nearly a length ahead of Zippity Gal in a $23,000 one mile claiming race. The 4 year old Street Boss filly was bred by Larry Johnson, and gave herself a little breathing room at the wire — three-quarters of a length. She finished strong after entering the lane fourth in the nine horse field. Steet Miz rebounded from an eighth place finish most recently in the Nellie Mae Cox Stakes.
Street Miz’s victory July 9th at Laurel gave owner Dr. Rick Katchuik a 25% bonus from the Mid-Atlantic Incentive Program. Photo by Jim McCue.
Start Winning also scored a Mid-Atlantic victory in a 6 1/2 furlong sprint at Charles Town. The win gave owner, the C and B Stables, a 25% bonus on top of the winner’s share of a $10,000 purse. The 4 year old daughter of Jump Start, also bred by Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin, met Becky Kecki head to head at the half and battled to the wire where she was a head to the best. Out of the Runaway Groom mare, Ritual Dance, Start Winning prevailed for the fifth time.
Rounding out the seven winners was Church Monkey, who seems to be enjoying and thriving in his new surroundings at Michigan’s Hazel Park. The 4 year old Ecclesiastic gelding rallied from fifth at the top of the stretch to beat Compulsive by a nose in a 5 1/2 furlong sprint in 1:08.22. In three starts at Hazel this meet, Church Monkey has two wins and a second. He was bred by Thomas Teal and is out of My Little Monkey by Old Trieste.
Besides the C and B Stables, other owners that were awarded a 25% bonus from the Mid-Atlantic Incentive Program included Dr. Rick Katchuik (Street Miz), Ernest Haynes (Titan Alexander) and Toby Roth (Northern Eclipse).