Two Virginia-Bred horses saw their earnings surge into new six-digit levels courtesy of wins this past weekend. Holly Hundy’s victory at Santa Anita pushed her career bankroll to $206,713 while Lenstar’s allowance score at Belmont pushed his to $300,767. The pair were both bred by Lazy Lane Farms and are both out of Cryptos’ Best.
14 of Holly Hundy’s 16 starts have come on the west coast. Photo courtesy of Coady Photography.
Holly Bundy’s win was her first since a 3 3/4 length triumph in the 2019 Camptown Stakes at Colonial Downs under Kent Desormeaux. On September 25, the four-year-old Yes Its True filly was one-half length the best in a $59,000 allowance optional claimer for fillies and mares at 5 1/2 furlongs. In 16 career starts, she has four wins, a second and a third. 14 of the 16 outs have taken place at west coast tracks.
Holly Hundy, with Kent Desormeaux aboard, was best in the 2019 Camptown Stakes at Colonial Downs. Photo by Coady Photography.
Lenstar’s 30th lifetime start was in a $70,000 allowance optional claimer where he wired the field and won by a neck as long shot in the field. The six-year-old Shackleford gelding, who is trained by Nick Zito and ridden by Dylan Davis, returned $31.00 to win. He scored his first win of 2020 and fifth overall.
Holding Fast got to the winners circle at Prarie Meadows in a $31,500 allowance, also as long shot in his 30th career outing. The five-year-old Hold Me Back horse went gate to wire and paid $23.60. The winner was bred by Mr. & Mrs. Oliver Iselin III and is out of the Distorted Humor mare, Humor Lee. Holding Fast has 15 “top three” finishes.
Virginia-Certified filly Patriotic Punch spent her six month residency at Ashland’s Eagle Point Farm.
Reform School and Passion Play also scored allowance wins to finish off the weekend. The former connected at Charles Town in a 4 1/2-furlong sprint while the latter was best in a one mile, 70 yard race at Delaware Park. They each collected first place shares of respective $26,000 and $63,000 purses. Crystal Pickett trains Reform School, who was bred by Nancy Terhune & Ernest Frohboese. The three-year-old Munnings colt increased his earnings to $81,330. Passion Play, a four-year-old Iselin-bred gelding, is a Mary Eppler trainee. He has finished “in the money” in 9 of 18 starts and has winnings of $136,147.
Virginia-Certified Grateful Bred is best in an allowance at Pimlico on September 24. Photo courtesy of Jim McCue.
Owners My Meadowview Farm (Lenstar), Crystal Pickett (Reform School) and Reiley McDonald (Passion Play) each earned a 25% bonus for wins courtesy of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association’s Mid-Atlantic Owners Bonus Incentive Program.
One Dozen Virginia-Certified Horses Score Victories In a One Week PeriodÂ
Twelve Virginia-Certified horses reached the winners circle this past week, providing owners of those horses with a 25% bonus as well. Six were bred in Maryland, three in West Virginia, two in Pennsylvania and one in New York.
Two-year-old Maryland-bred filly Street Lute captured the $100,000 Small Wonder Stakes at Delaware Park September 26. The daughter of Street Magician is trained by John Robb and is owned by Lucky 7 Stables. A $10,500 purchase at last fall’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Yearling Sale, Street Lute is 2-for-2 and has earned $90,000. She won a maiden special weight at Delaware September 7. The filly spent her Virginia residency at Diana McClure’s DMC Carousel Racing Stable in Berryville.
Virginia-Certified I’d Like To Know Wins a $35,000 waiver claiming race at Pimlico September 26. Photo courtesy of Jim McCue.
Maryland-bred Grateful Bred won a $55,188 allowance at Pimlico September 24 at the 5 1/2-furlong distance. The four-year-old Great Notion gelding is trained by Madison Meyers for Gordon Keys. The winner, who resided at Gordon Keys’ Beaver Dam Farm in Middleburg for six months, is 2-for-4 this year with $73,628 in earnings.
West Virginia-bred Juba Train, owned, trained and bred by John Casey, won a $27,000 maiden special weight race September 25 at Charles Town. The two-year-old Juba filly won for the first time in four starts. Her Virginia residency was spent at James Casey’s Rt. 340 Farm in Boyce.
Ingleside Training is based on the property of James Madison’s Montpelier Estate.
New York-bred Beta also scored a maiden special weight win for owner Louis Ferrari. The three-year-old Alpha gelding was victorious in a $26,500 sprint at Finger Lakes September 23. The Michael Ferraro trainee had five third place finishes this year before breaking through. His Virginia residency was spent at Ingleside Training Ltd. in Montpelier Station.
Maryland-bred Patriotic Punch extended a steady 2020 campaign with a win in a $34,748 starter optional claiming race September 25 at Pimlico. The three-year-old Carpe Diem filly is owned by James Wolf, trained by Anthony Farrier and was ridden by Katie Davis, who competed at Colonial Downs this summer. In seven starts this year, she has two wins and three runner-up finishes, good for $65,068 in earnings. She is a graduate of Eagle Point Farm in Ashland.
Virginia-Certified Patriotic Punch (#7) won a thriller at Pimlico September 25. Photo by Jim McCue.
Other Certified winners were Foalsfillyspecial, I’d Like To Know, Pennsylvania Steel, Dance Lightly, Queen of Anything, Let’s Get Physical and Dance for a Dime.
