Doswell Goes All the Way in Ft. Lauderdale

Joe Allen's homebred Doswell  might be lightly-raced for a 6-year-old with only 12 starts, but he made his connections' patience worth it Dec. 18 with a breakthrough victory in the $200,000 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes (G2T) at Gulfstream Park. Now, he's a possible contender for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1T) back at Gulfstream Jan. 29.

"He's hard to get fit because he's had some little problems and stuff like that, and we had to give and take with him a lot," trainer Barclay Tagg said. "But, I felt kind of good about him today because he was fit. We were able to train him hard.

"He's a horse that's kind of made for trouble. (Assistant) Robin (Smullen) has just done a hell of a job with him. She rides him every single day. She got him all straightened out and he's very sensible now."

The Giant's Causeway gelding was second in the 1 1/8-mile Ft. Lauderdale a year ago after a rough trip. Following that race, Doswell was third in the Jan. 23 W. L. McKnight Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream and was off until the fall, when he finished third in a pair of allowance optional claiming races at Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack. Saturday marked his first win since an allowance score at Belmont in October 2020.

Junior Alvarado, up for the 2020 Ft. Lauderdale and this year's McKnight, was back aboard Doswell Saturday. The pair went straight to the front out of post 1 and led throughout, with Doswell having enough in reserve to cross the finish line 1 1/2 lengths in front. 

Dowell completed the nine furlongs on firm turf in 1:45.60 and returned $11 to win as 9-2 third choice.

"It was nice and easy," Alvarado said. "Last year they kind of told me to try to see if he would stalk to make sure he would finish strong, and we kind of took away his main (weapon). Today they told me, 'You're in the one (post), just leave out of there rolling,' and that's what I did.

"He broke good, I put him on the engine a little bit and then tried to slow him down, and he rated kindly for me. When we turned for home, I asked him and he gave me a nice kick. I knew they were in trouble as soon as I started asking him because he picked it up very quickly and I thought they'd have to be flying at the end to go by."

"Junior rode him super," Tagg said. "He doesn't like being in a crowd, I don't think, and he doesn't like all that pressure around. He had the inside and we thought if he gets away good, just leave him there."

Longshots in the 12-horse field rounded out the trifecta. Atone  got up from mid-pack to finish second at 17-1 odds, edging English Bee , who ran third throughout at 21-1, by a half-length. Space Traveller  and L'Imperator , both off at 3-1 with the latter slightly favored, were fourth and fifth, respectively. 

According to the race chart, the race was hand timed and fractions were unavailable.

Doswell was bred in Kentucky out of the Minardi mare Ballet Pacifica, a stakes winner in France for Allen. Ballet Pacifica is also the dam of stakes winner Secretary at War  (War Front  ) and graded stakes-placed Entrechat  (Giant's Causeway). Her latest foal is a yearling Into Mischief   filly named You're the Top and she was last bred to War Front for 2022.

The Ft. Lauderdale, which brought Doswell's record to 3-5-3 and his earnings to $314,621, now may lead to a bigger target in the Pegasus World Cup Turf.

"We're thinking about it. We'll probably go in it," Tagg said. "We'll see how he comes out of this and see if he freshens up, if he's got energy and all that kind of stuff. I don't want to take him over there and just make a fool out of him if we can help it."

Video: Ft. Lauderdale S. (G2T)

Sweet Melania Ends Drought

Robert and Lawana Low's Sweet Melania  returned to the winner's circle for the first time in eight starts, dating back to June 2020, with a half-length victory in the $100,000 Suwannee River Stakes (G3T) Saturday at Gulfstream. 

Trainer Todd Pletcher told the Gulfstream media department after the performance that Sweet Melania was under consideration for the $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G3T) back at Gulfstream Jan. 29. 

"She was super sharp coming into it. I loved the way she was training and she got a beautiful ride from Johnny (Velazquez)," Pletcher said. It was a good setup, and I thought she ran a good race. I felt like she had been rounding back into form and had some good performances and just didn't quite get there. She did seem super sharp, and we were hoping for an improved performance."

The 4-year-old daughter of American Pharoah   steadily improved her form the latter half of 2021, placing in her last three starts, but she had not been sent back to the graded level until Saturday's mile turf test for fillies and mares. She previously proved herself at the level at ages 2 and 3, winning the 2019 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland and the 2020 Wonder Again Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park. 

With jockey John Velazquez up for the third straight time Saturday, Sweet Melania showed once again she belonged in the graded ranks. She sat in second three lengths off the pace of 2-1 favorite Shifty She , who enjoyed an uncontested lead through the first half-mile. Shifty She, coming off a win in the Oct. 23 Noble Damsel Stakes (G3T) at Belmont, was only a length in front by the time she led through three-quarters.

Sweet Melania then drew up on the outside of Shifty She as the pair turned for home before taking the lead and holding that foe off at the wire. The final time on the firm turf was 1:34.19. Sweet Melania, off at odds of 6-1, paid $15.60.

The race was hand timed and fractions were unavailable, the race chart noted.

"It was perfect," Velazquez said of the winning trip. "When I let her go, she responded right away. Obviously the horse in front is a very tough horse to beat, but I didn't want to let it be too easy. I got to her at the three-eighths pole and I knew I probably had her but on the other hand I don't want to let her go too easy and get caught by somebody else from behind. It feels good to win a race like this."

Shifty She held on for second another half-length in front of third-placed In a Hurry , who had followed the front two around the course. Keeper of Time  rallied from 10th in the 12-horse field to be fourth. 

West Bloodstock purchased Sweet Melania for the Lows at a price of $600,000 from Gainesway's consignment to the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The filly has earned $571,210 and holds a 4-4-4 record in 15 starts. 

Sweet Melania was bred in Kentucky by St. Elias Stables out of the stakes-winning, grade 2-placed Discreet Cat mare Sweet N Discreet . She is the second foal and second winner from her dam, who also has a yearling colt by Liam's Map   named Rungius and a weanling full sister to Sweet Melania. Sweet N Discreet, who sold to Marette Farrell, agent for Mt. Brilliant Farm, for $1.6 million in 2019 out of Lane's End's consignment to The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's premier breeding stock sale, was bred to Tapit   for 2022.

Video: Suwannee River S. (G3T)