Classic Point Ekes Out Go for Wand Victory
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By Jerry Bossert
Once a claimer, Classic Point is now a graded stakes winner after taking the $300,000 Go for Wand Handicap (gr. III) Nov. 28 at Aqueduct Racetrack .
The 5-year-old mare who broke her maiden for a $16,000 claiming tag back in 2012, held off favored Princess Violet by a nose to record her first win in a graded stakes.
Tracking the moderate pace of Sweet Whiskey while racing in second, Classic Point grabbed the lead at the top of the stretch and held off the 2-1 Princess Violet under a steady left-handed whip from jockey Angel Arroyo.
"She's got a big cruising speed and Angel did a good job of getting her up in there but not getting into a head-and-head battle," winning trainer Jimmy Jerkens said. "He got his stick in his left hand inside the sixteenth pole and I think that made the difference. Very strong finisher. At first, I thought the other filly got to her and might have gotten her head down, but then I watched it again and thought we did."
Princess Violet, who won the Empire Distaff Handicap at Belmont Park by 5 1/2 lengths on Oct. 18 in her last start, rallied from eighth down the center of the track to just miss, snapping a two-race win streak.
"I had a good trip," Arroyo said of his ride on the eventual winner. "She broke good, and I sat in second. I was saving my horse for the stretch, and she responded. Past the wire, I didn't think she won."
Classic Point lost the first five starts of her career before breaking her maiden by eight lengths when racing for that $16,000 tag on Oct. 25, 2012 at Belmont.
In her last start, Classic Point won the $98,000 Punkin Pie Stakes at Belmont while wearing blinkers for the first time, which she also wore in the Go for Wand.
"I don't know if it was just the blinkers," Jerkens said. "I think it's usually a combination of things that makes them win. She's just gotten bigger and stronger since Saratoga. Her last race was great and she got some confidence back."
The win in the Go for Wand was the seventh in her career from 30 starts, all for owner and breeder Joseph V. Shields Jr. who bred the Florida-bred daughter of Flatter out of the Langfuhr mare Discerning.
Classic Point completed the mile in 1:37.78 over Aqueduct's main track that was labeled good while returning $18.40 to win, $8.50 to place and $5.80 to show. Princess Violet paid $4.20 to place and $3 to show, while Moment in Dixie returned $8.30 to show.
Sweet Whiskey weakened to fourth, while Playful Love, Street Girl, Willet, Tapit's World, Zucchini Flower, Geeky Gorgeous and Endless Chatter completed the order of finish. Snowbell was an early scratch.