Late Night Pow Wow Digs in to Win Barbara Fritchie
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Photo: Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
Late Night Pow Wow holds off Spiced Perfection to win the Barbara Fritchie Stakes at Laurel Park
Breeze Easy's Late Night Pow Wow wasn't going to get her ninth straight victory without a fight. Spiced Perfection made sure of that in the $250,000 Barbara Fritchie Stakes (G3) Feb. 16 at Laurel Park.
After she skimmed the rail to shoot past frontrunner Ms Locust Point and take the lead at the top of the lane under jockey Fredy Peltroche, Late Night Pow Wow had to hold off a classy challenger late.
Spiced Perfection—who won the La Brea Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park last time out for trainer Brian Koriner before she was privately purchased by Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable, and Peter Deutsch and transferred to trainer Peter Miller—also had an inside trip through much of the seven-furlong test under jockey Flavien Prat but angled out at the top of the lane to take a run at the Javier Contreras-trained Late Night Pow Wow.
Late Night Pow Wow held a one-length lead with a furlong to run, and while Spiced Perfection appeared to have momentum on the outside, the West Virginia-bred daughter of Fiber Sonde dug in to hold off her rival by a head in a final time of 1:21.61.
Late Night Pow Wow stalked the pace early as Ms Locust Point scooted away to a clear lead and set fractions of :22.55 and :45.29 through a half-mile before Peltroche's bold move on the rail. The top two hit the wire three lengths clear of Dawn the Destroyer, who closed from eighth to just get past Ms Locust Point for third.
"I broke good and got good position and waited," Peltroche said. "(Ms Locust Point) came in a little bit, but I didn't check my horse because I had a lot of horse. I sent her up the rail, and in the stretch it was only the one filly coming. She likes the big stretch here. Her other races were easier, but this race was very tough."
Bred by John Mckee out of the Indian Charlie mare Holy Pow Wow, Late Night Pow Wow began her streak with three straight allowance victories at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in the middle months of 2018, and then won three straight stakes at the West Virginia track, including the Sept. 22 Charles Town Oaks (G3). At Laurel for her past three starts, her scores before the Barbara Fritchie were the Nov. 24 Willa On the Move Stakes and the Jan. 12 What A Summer Stakes. She now has 11 wins from 12 starts and $619,400 in earnings. Her only loss came by a half-length in the 4 1/2-furlong Its Binn Too Long Stakes at Charles Town in April.
"Every race, when you get out of town and start facing the real racehorses, it's always a big deal," Contreras said. "What an exciting thing. There's no words to really describe it. It's just amazing. She's come a long way. A long way."
Video: Barbara Fritchie S. (G3)
One race earlier on the Laurel card, Robert LaPenta and Harry Rosenblum's Uncontested earned his first graded stakes and also the first for his trainer, Jennifer Patterson, in the General George Stakes (G3). The 5-year-old son of Tiz Wonderful stumbled at the start but recovered to lead at every point of call en route to a one-length win. After 12 starts with trainer Wayne Catalano, Uncontested moved to Patterson in 2018 and debuted for his new trainer with a five-length optional-claiming allowance win Dec. 23 at Laurel. He was bred by Richard Forbush out of the Lil E. Tee mare Galileo's Star, and was a $20,000 purchase by Rosenblum from Forbush Farm's consignment to the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.