Favorites Shine on Night for Iowa-Breds

Favorites Oh My Gravy, Rallydownthealley, and Net Gain won the featured events on Iowa Classic night for state-breds Aug. 8 at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, and Iowa stallion Woke Up Dreamin was represented by two juvenile stakes winners on the card.

 

Oh My Gravy romped away to a 6 3/4-length triumph in the $100,000 Ralph Hayes Stakes for older colts and geldings, and Rallydownthealley eked out a narrow win over 32-1 longshot Foxy Fleda in the $100,000 Donna Reed Stakes for older fillies and mares. 

 

Oh My Gravy, a 5-year-old Repent gelding, settled off the early pace along the inside and moved up around the far turn for Glenn Corbett, before bounding away in the stretch for his first stakes win. King Jimmy, the longest shot in the field at 23-1 odds, was second after firing a closing drive from last place, and finished three lengths clear of third-place finisher Cainam. 

 

Kelly Von Hemel trains Oh My Gravy, who finished 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.60 on a fast track while improving his career line to 4-7-2 from 20 starts. Campaigned by Russell Placzek, Steve Oeschlager, and Rick S. Engel, Oh My Gravy was bred by William L. Hobbs from the Out of Place mare My Place Tonight.

 

Danny R. Caldwell's Rallydownthealley was denied by a neck in last year's Donna Reid, but got up in the closing strides this year to score by a head. 

 

Ridden by Ramon Vasquez for trainer Federico Villafranco, Rallydownthealley covered a mile and 70 yards in 1:45.02. She earned her first stakes victory as well, taking her overall record to 5-4-2 from 18 starts. Ashby Thoroughbreds bred the 5-year-old Flower Alley mare from the Citidancer mare Danceinthestreets.

 

WinStar Farm's Net Gain powered into contention around the far turn, took charge at the three-sixteenths pole and scooted clear to a 6 1/4-length win in the $80,000 Iowa Breeders Derby. 

 

Net Gain, who won his first stakes as the overwhelming favorite with Terry Thompson aboard, defeated Desanctus, who outfinished Bad Moon by nose for second. A son of Include  , Net Gain was timed in 1:47.24 for 1 1/16 miles after a exiting a third-place finish in an allowance race at Belmont Park July 11. In March he was third in the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park for trainer Bill Mott.  

 

Net Gain, bred by Lane Thoroughbreds from the Elusive Quality   mare Triple o' Five was a $325,000 purchase by Maverick Productions at the 2014 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. spring sale of 2-year-olds in training, where he was offered by Scanlon Training Center's agency.

 

Also on the Iowa Classic card: 

 

Iowa stallion Woke Up Dreamin had a pair of 2-year-old stakes winner on the card, in One Fine Dream and Dreamin.

 

Umbrella Stables III's and trainer Chris Richard's favored One Fine Dream captured the $75,000 Iowa Cradle Stakes for 2-year-old males by a half-length from No Holds Barred. The winner, who is out of One Fine Sweeetie, by Shuailaan, was bred by Gary Lucas and Linda Woods.

 

Donald Downing's homebred Dreamin swung six wide into the stretch and took the $75,000 Iowa Sorority for juvenile fillies by 1 1/2 lengths at odds of 41-1. Out of Speedy Gladys Jam, by Golden Missile, she has two wins from four career starts for trainer Timothy Martin.

 

Woke Up Dreamin, a son of 15-year-old son of Holy Bull, stood in 2015 for a $2,000 fee at Madison County Thoroughbreds.

 

Poindexter Thoroughbreds' Wait N C Spring won the $80,000 Iowa Breeders' Oaks by 2 1/2 lengths at 6-1 odds, the first of two wins on the card for Vasquez. The daughter of Spring At Last   trained by Lynn Chleborad, was bred by Mario Silva and notched her first stakes win.

 

Jody Mueller's Shock Hazard powered gate to wire in winning the $75,000 Dan Johnson Memorial Sprint Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths at 4-1 odds. Trained by Jon Arnett, the 4-year-old Dunkirk gelding added a third stakes victory to his record. He was bred by Burden Creek Farm and Clifton Farm from the Forestry mare Treetop Shock.