Virginia-Breds Kick Off Colonial Downs Stakes Action
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Photo: Jim McCue / Maryland Jockey Club
Homespun Hero wins the 2018 Meadow Stable Stakes at Laurel Park
When Tag Stables' Homespun Hero races Aug. 10 in defense of his Meadow Stable Stakes title, the 6-year-old son of Hard Spun will be back in his home state, running at Colonial Downs.
The last time the New Kent, Va., track hosted a Thoroughbred meet in 2013, Homespun Hero was only a weanling. His victory in the 2018 Meadow Stable came at Laurel Park, which hosted stakes races for Virginia-bred and Virginia-certified horses after Colonial Downs was closed down.
The Meadow Stable is one of four stakes races Colonial has carded on its Secretariat turf course Saturday for Virginia-bred and Virginia-certified horses 3-years-old and up. Saturday's stakes action is the first of the Aug. 8-Sept. 7 meet.
On tap is the Edward P. Evans and Nellie Mae Cox Stakes, both at mile with the latter for fillies and mares, and the Meadow Stable and M. Tyson Gilpin Stakes, both at 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass, with the Gilpin for fillies and mares. Each stakes race has a $100,000 purse.
The Meadow Stable was taken off the turf last year at Laurel and run at the same distance on a fast main track. Homespun Hero, trained by Mark Shuman, led nearly every step and fought back for the lead after being passed by a head in the stretch.
Shipping in from outside the Mid-Atlantic for the Meadow Stable is Lothenbach Stables' 4-year-old Elusive Mischief, who is based with Ian Wilkes in Kentucky. The Into Mischief colt ended 2018 with a 5 1/4-length victory in the Punch Line Stakes last September at Laurel, leading almost every step in the off-the-turf event. Homespun Hero came home third in the Punch Line, on a sloppy track.
D Hatman Thoroughbreds and Kingdom Bloodstock's Determined Vision was second beaten a length in the Meadow Stable a year ago, but this year will stretch out to a mile for the Edward P. Evans. The 4-year-old Jump Start gelding, trained by Phil Schoenthal picked up a stakes win one start prior to his Meadow Stable effort in the White Oak Farm Stakes sprinting on Laurel's turf.
Morgan's Ford Farm's River Deep, a homebred 5-year-old Arch gelding also trained by Schoenthal, won going a mile a year ago in the Hansel Stakes. The race was taken off the turf and River Deep won by 7 1/4 lengths on a fast track. Two starts later he stretched out another eighth of a mile to win the Bert Allen Stakes, also off the turf, by 8 1/2 lengths on a sloppy surface.
Morgan's Ford Farm will also be represented by another stakes-winning homebred when the 3-year-old filly River Gal goes to post in the Nellie Mae Cox. Schoenthal trains the daughter of Blame , who bested male rivals by 2 1/2 lengths in the Jamestown Stakes off the turf last fall.
Both River Deep and River Gal are out of the Conagree mare River Fancy.
Hoping to do one better in this year's Nellie Mae Cox is Drop Dead Red. The 6-year-old Hold Me Back mare rallied to a runner-up finish a year ago and was claimed by AJ Suited Racing Stable for $25,000 in February.
The M. Tyson Gilpin will feature of trio of familiar rivals as Andrew and Becky Lavin's Virginia Fable, Eagle Point Farm's What the Beep, and Danny Limongelli's Up Hill Battle have all faced each other multiple times in Virginia-bred and Virginia-certified stakes. All three are stakes placed, and are seeking a breakthrough victory Saturday.
Colonial Downs, Saturday, August 10, 2019, Race 5Entries: M. Tyson Gilpin S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Virginia Fable (VA)
Xavier Perez
121
Susan S. Cooney
7/2
2
2What the Beep (VA)
Forest Boyce
121
Karen Dennehy Godsey
3/1
3
3Solarte (VA)
Jorge Ruiz
121
Sarah Nagle
4/1
4
4Ruffitup Buttercup (VA)
Dean A. Sarvis
121
Leanne Hester
30/1
5
5English Heiress (VA)
Horacio Karamanos
121
E. G. Pete Twisdale
20/1
6
6Up Hill Battle (VA)
Katie Davis
121
Hugh I. McMahon
5/2
7
7Pink Pearl (VA)
Sheldon Russell
118
Phil Schoenthal
9/2
Colonial Downs, Saturday, August 10, 2019, Race 8Entries: Meadow Stable S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Homespun Hero (VA)
J. D. Acosta
125
Mark Shuman
8/1
2
2Braxton (VA)
Leslie Mawing
121
Karen Dennehy Godsey
12/1
3
3Boondoggle (VA)
Dean A. Sarvis
121
Leanne Hester
10/1
4
4Available (VA)
Forest Boyce
121
Suzanne A. Dempsey
15/1
5
5Lime House Louie (VA)
Mychel J. Sanchez
125
Flint W. Stites
10/1
6
6Fly E Dubai (VA)
Jorge Ruiz
121
A. Ferris Allen, III
5/1
7
7Hero's Wager (VA)
Olaf Hernandez
121
Ted Randolph
20/1
8
8Elusive Mischief (VA)
Sheldon Russell
125
Ian R. Wilkes
6/5
9
9Storm Struck (VA)
Gavin Coetzee
122
Leanne Hester
30/1
10
10Ready to Run (VA)
Horacio Karamanos
118
Kieron Magee
6/1
Colonial Downs, Saturday, August 10, 2019, Race 9Entries: Nellie Mae Cox S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Graceful Request (VA)
Olaf Hernandez
121
Jose M. Camejo
12/1
2
2Sweet Sandy (VA)
Mychel J. Sanchez
125
Michael E. Gorham
12/1
3
3Durven (VA)
Jorge Ruiz
121
Sarah Nagle
9/2
4
4My Vixen (VA)
Jevian Toledo
121
Gary Capuano
10/1
5
5River Gal (VA)
Forest Boyce
122
Phil Schoenthal
8/1
6
6Tryon Summer (VA)
J. D. Acosta
118
Vickie L. Foley
4/1
7
7Drop Dead Red (VA)
Carol Cedeno
125
Francis Abbott, III
6/1
8
8Yes to the Dress (VA)
Horacio Karamanos
125
Horacio DePaz
8/1
9
9Fionnbharr (VA)
Sheldon Russell
118
Susan S. Cooney
7/2
10
10Rollover Risk (VA)
Dean A. Sarvis
121
Dana Ollier
20/1
Colonial Downs, Saturday, August 10, 2019, Race 10Entries: Edward P. Evans S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1First Talent (VA)
Arnaldo Bocachica
121
Jeff C. Runco
10/1
2
2Determined Vision (VA)
Horacio Karamanos
125
Phil Schoenthal
15/1
3
3Speed Gracer (VA)
Jorge Ruiz
121
Susan S. Cooney
5/1
4
4Drosselmoon (VA)
Leslie Mawing
118
Susan S. Cooney
15/1
5
5K D's Cat Bird (VA)
Navin Mangalee
121
Hubert Gaffney
10/1
6
6River Deep (VA)
Sheldon Russell
125
Phil Schoenthal
9/5
7
7Black Prong (VA)
J. D. Acosta
121
Sarah Nagle
8/1
8
8Two Notch Road (VA)
Tomas B. Mejia
125
Glenn R. Thompson
7/2
9
9Runninginthevale (VA)
Jevian Toledo
121
Gary Capuano
10/1