Secret Love Upsets Franklin Square
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand
Secret Love wins the Franklin Square Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack
Secret Love handled her first stakes appearance—and first start on an off track—with a strong stretch drive Jan. 16, outkicking 3-5 favorite Laobanonaprayer by 1 1/2 lengths to capture the $97,000 Franklin Square Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Owned by Nedlaw Stable and Tobey Morton, Secret Love won her debut in September going six furlongs at Belmont Park. After she ran second at the same distance Dec. 20 at the Big A, trainer John Kimmel moved the Not This Time filly up in class for the 6 1/2-furlong Franklin Square.
Secret Love tracked second behind pacesetter Rossa Veloce, who led the five-horse field through the opening quarter in :22.76 and the half in :46.68 on the muddy and sealed main track.
Jockey Pablo Morales kept his mount forwardly placed out of the turn with plenty in reserve, as she easily overtook a fading Rossa Veloce from the outside at the top of the stretch. With Morales utilizing left-handed encouragement, Secret Love repelled Laobanonaprayer's late outside bid, hitting the wire in 1:19.86.
"She came to run," said Morales. "They gave me a lot of confidence in her. They told me to have her forwardly placed because they thought she was going to run big. I pretty much followed instructions and came out of there running. Once the other horse made the lead, I just sat second the whole way around there. She gave me a nice kick down the lane and I thought it was good enough to win and she sure did.
"I knew everybody was right there," he added. "I knew it was a competitive field and I wasn't going to draw off in hand and I would have to keep on riding. She dug in hard and I knew with the run she gave me, she was going to be tough to pass."
Sent off at odds of 13-1, Secret Love paid $28 on a $2 win wager. Bred by Sequel Stallions NY and Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings out of the A.P. Indy mare Exotic Design, Secret Love more than doubled her career earnings to $98,000. She was purchased for $270,000 by Morton from De Meric Sales' consignment to the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Sales July 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale.
"(Morales) got her off the inside and he did a very nice job," Kimmel said. "Laobanonaprayer is a proven horse and a very nice filly. I thought our filly did very well. The pace was very quick up front and she held on. Maybe the track helped her as it might have been tough to make any big closing moves today."
Laobanonaprayer, who entered with stakes wins in her last two starts, edged Vacay by a neck for second. The Daniel Velazquez trainee is 2-2-1 in five career starts. Rossa Veloce and A Life That's Good completed the order of finish. Caramocha was scratched.
"I never had the horse today," said Laobanonaprayer's jockey, Kendrick Carmouche. "She missed some training at Parx and you've got to be ready when you come to New York. He (trainer Daniel Velazquez) thought he had the best horse and could still win. The filly still tried."