Heavily Favored Wicked Halo Prevails in Twin Bridges
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Photo: Coady Photography
Wicked Halo wins the Twin Bridges Stakes at Ellis Park
Shouldering the heavy expectations of the gambling public, jockey Cristian Torres guided 1-5 shot Wicked Halo to 1 1/4 length victory in the July 23 $125,000 Twin Bridges Stakes at Ellis Park.
And she gets it done! Wicked Halo takes the Twin Bridges ⭐️ @EllisParkRacing @cristiantorr64 pic.twitter.com/f3yKZQpLGP
— Molly Rollins (@BH_MRollins) July 23, 2023
The race wasn't a total walk in the park for the multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire. Perched three-wide in the clear down the backstretch behind the pacesetting Dealing Justice and Non Violence , Wicked Halo ranged alongside her rivals turning for home and dueled a gritty Non Violence down the lane. Not one to back down in a fight, Wicked Halo responded willingly to the challenge, putting away her stubborn foe late and surging clear under the wire.
"She's an unbelievable filly," Torres said, who was riding Wicked Halo for the first time in her 15 trips to the post. "She's won a lot of stakes, she's very professional, I was just holding onto her.
"I wasn't really worried (about passing Non Violence). I knew (Non Violence) has been improving race by race so I had to work a little bit harder to pass by her but my filly has a lot of class and got the job done."
Over a track listed as fast under a sweltering July sun, Wicked Halo ($2.42) stopped the timer in a sharp 1:10.36 for the six furlongs. Non Violence finished one length ahead of Last Leaf in third.
A homebred for Winchell Thoroughbreds, the decision to run Wicked Halo, who had been training at Saratoga Race Course the last month was due to a desire to separate the Gun Runner filly from her stablemate, the Winchell Thoroughbreds co-owned Echo Zulu . Both Steve Asmussen-trained fillies had been nominated for the July 26 Honorable Miss Stakes (G2) at Saratoga.
WATCH: Torres on Wicked Halo's Twin Bridges Win
"(We were looking for prep races for) Wicked Halo and Echo Zulu prior to the Ballerina," said Winchell Thoroughbreds racing manager David Fiske. "There didn't seem to be another race Wicked Halo could get into anywhere nearby and since Steve (Asmussen) has a full barn down at Ellis we just decided to send her down there and get a race into her."
Fiske was pleased with the filly's effort and said she would return to Saratoga to train up to the Aug. 26 $500,000 Ballerina Handicap (G1), where she will likely face Echo Zulu.
"I thought it looked very professional," Fiske said. "It wasn't flashy but she got it done. I think professional is the word I'd use."
Wicked Halo now sports two wins from four starts this year. Produced from Winchell Thoroughbreds' grade 2-winning race mare Just Wicked (Tapit), the filly entered the Twin Bridges off a narrow defeat to 2022 female champion sprinter Goodnight Ollve in the June 17 Bed o' Roses Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park.