Plain Ol' Willard Last to First in Endurance
Image:
Description:
M. Y. Stables' homebred Plain Ol' Willard, already a winner of more than $150,000, padded his bankroll in a big way with a come-from-behind upset win in the $150,000 Best of Ohio Endurance Stakes Oct. 11 at Belterra Park.
With revenue from video lottery terminals at Ohio racetracks now going toward purses, each of the five Ohio-bred championship races were worth $150,000, the highest ever. The only other time the Best of Ohio was held at Belterra Park, the former River Downs, was in 1995.
Plain Ol' Willard, trained by Anthony Lowry and ridden by Noel Vigil, won the $50,000 Catlaunch Stakes for state-breds at ThistleDown Racino in his last start Sept. 28. But he broke from the gate as a 16-1 outsider in a bulky field of 14 over a muddy, sealed trackin the 1 1/4-mile Endurance.
The 4-year-old gelding by Pacific Waves got away last and remained the trailer through the first five furlongs. But early fractions of :23.58 for the opening quarter-mile, :46.67 for the half-mile, and 1:11.26 for six furlongs, produced by the dueling pair of Stormin Larry and Dubacious, set the table for horses with late run.
Jac's Fact, also at 16-1, got the jump when the early leaders backed up and opened up a bit after reaching the quarter pole in 1:37.78. But he couldn't contain Plain Ol' Willard, who blew by in the final sixteenth of a mile to win by 3 1/2 lengths in 2:04.87, a track record for the distance.
Jac's Fact held second, a neck in front of Farmer Steve, who also rallied late. John Galt was two lengths back in fourth.
Plain Ol' Willard earned $90,000 for Ron McKay, who owns M. Y. Stables and South River Ranch, the official breeder of the gelding. McKay is a longtime supporter of the Ohio-bred program and also participated in the Indiana-bred program.
"It's unbelievable," McKay said. "We won a $50,000 stakes with him a couple of weeks ago, and then he comes here and does this. It really hasn't sunk in yet."
Plain Ol' Willard paid $34, $16, and $12 across the board. Jac's Fact returned $13.60 and $11, while Farmer Steve paid $9.40 to show. The $2 exacta was worth $598 and the $2 trifecta $13,427.60.
Fuzzy Dee Jay, the 5-2 favorite finished eighth, while second choice Silver Tongued checked in sixth.
McKay raced Plain Ol' Willard's dam, Millys Sister, by Piker. Plain Ol' Willard now has six victories in 25 career outings.
In the Best of Ohio Distaff, the 5-year-old mare Caviar N Champagne (by Formal Dinner) won at even money for Loooch Racing Stable, which had a three-horse entry in the 1 1/8-mile race. Trained by Jeff Radosevich and ridden by Scott Spieth, Caviar N Champagne, now 10-for-30, established a new record for the distance of 1:51.85.
The Best of Ohio Sprint at six furlongs went to James Driver and H. Ywachetta's Rivers Run Deep (by Ready's Image). The 3-year-old colt won easily under Jareth Loveberry for trainer Cody Autrey in 1:08.78, just :0.12 seconds off the track record.
Scioto Farm's Mound looked like a good thing in his first try around two turns in the 1 1/16-mile Juvenile Stakes. Ron Fields' homebred 2-year-old gelding by Ohio stallion Mercer Mill was ridden by Megan Fadlovich and is trained by Ivan Vasquez. Mound covered the distance in 1:46.80 and now has three wins, a second, and a third in five starts.
The John W. Galbreath Stakes for 2-year-old fillies was captured by Justalittlesmoke (by Smoke Glacken). Owned by Marion Gorham and trained by Robert Gorham, Justalittlesmoke, who was bred by Belvedere Farm, won the 1 1/16-mile test in 1:47.30 under jockey Jeffrey Skerrett.