Orbolution First Black-Type Stakes Winner for Orb
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Susie Raisher
Orbolution gets by Mentality in the stretch to score a 4 3/4 length victory in the P.G. Johnson Stakes
With a 4 3/4-length victory on Saratoga Race Course's inner turf in the $100,000 P.G. Johnson Stakes for 2-year-old-fillies Aug. 31, Orbolution became freshman sire Orb 's first black-type stakes winner.
StarLadies Racing's Orbolution lived up to her 3-5 odds Thursday, when she raced just off the pace on the rail through most of the 1 1/16-mile race with jockey John Velazquez in the irons.
Wesley Ward trainee Mentality led the first three-quarters of a mile and set moderate fractions of :24.08, :47.85, and 1:14.29. At the top of the stretch, Velazquez guided Orbolution through a small space along the rail and easily drew clear to complete the distance in 1:43.18 on the firm turf.
"I was really confident," Velazquez said. "Right when I got to the first turn, I saw the horses getting out pretty bad in front of me and I was like 'Let me go right behind (Mentality).'"
The P.G. Johnson is the second straight victory for Orbolution, who was bred by Hinkle Farms out of the grade 3-placed mare My Rachel, by Horse Chestnut (SAF).
Orbolution broke her maiden by 2 1/2 lengths July 23 in a Saratoga maiden event going 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon turf course. The latest victory brings the Todd Pletcher trainee's earnings to $125,800.
"I trained the mare, My Rachel, and she was nice on the turf, so we weren't surprised that she ended up on the turf," Pletcher said. "She was training pretty well on the dirt and she was precocious.
"It's pretty impressive for a young filly. It wasn't a big hole that she shot through. She has a great turn of foot."
Robert Masterson's Wild N Ready was able to get up for second, while Sassy Sienna finished third.
In 2013 Orb won the Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), Besilu Stables Florida Derby (G1), and the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) during a five-race win streak.
The Stuart Janney and Phipps Stable homebred stands at Claiborne Farm, where his 2017 fee was $25,000. Through Aug. 31 Orb ranked 11th on the BloodHorse.com first-crop sires list.