Caprice Gets up In the Smart Halo
Another Victory for Foxy Junior
BALTIMORE – John Hazard’s Sacred Thunder moved three-wide around the turn under jockey Jevian Toledo and then drove home to victory Saturday in the $100,000 James F. Lewis III at Laurel Park.
Trained by Gary Capuano, Sacred Thunder covered six furlongs in 1:10.45 and finished a length in front of a closing Re Markably. Saxton was third.
The Lewis was one of three stakes races on the 10-race program.
A 2-year-old son of Holy Boss bred in Maryland by Anchor & Hope Farms, Sacred Thunder was third down the backstretch behind 6-5 favorite Do It for Michael, who set an opening quarter in :23.22. But Toledo moved Sacred Thunder outside Do It for Michael and Saxton before taking the lead above the eighth pole and holding off Re Markably, who rallied for the place.
Sacred Thunder, a $40,000 purchase, broke his maiden in his fourth start Sept. 7 before following it with a victory in a starter optional claimer at Delaware Park Sept. 28. The colt finished third, beaten a length by Do It for Michael, Oct. 12 in the Maryland Million Nursery.
Hazard said he had no immediate plans for Sacred Thunder but said Capuano believes the colt could stretch out in the future.
Caprice Gets up In the Smart Halo
Runnymoore Racing, LLC’s homebred Caprice took a test drive over the Laurel track Saturday and liked what she saw, winning the $100,000 Smart Halo by a half length over Great Andrei.
Caprice, trained by Cathal Lynch and ridden by Jamie Rodriguez, had started her previous four races at Delaware Park, winning her first three before finishing a distant second in the White Clay Creek Stakes Oct. 9. With Lynch and Runnymoore looking toward the winter stakes schedule at Laurel, Caprice was entered in the Smart Halo to see if she liked the track. The result was a victory.
As expected, the undefeated and 6-5 favorite Daze went to the front and was followed by Great Andrei past a :22.63 opening quarter. Entering the stretch Great Andrei took the lead from a tiring Daze after a :45.99 half but closing from far back was Caprice and Rodriguez, who got up inside the final 70 yards after entering the stretch four-wide for the victory.
Caprice covered the six furlongs in 1:11.58.
Caprice is a Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Golden Lad out of the Street Cry mare Grand Folly, who was purchased by Runnymoore out of a mixed breeding sale in 2017 at Keeneland.
Another Victory for Foxy Junior
Dianne Stern’s homebred Foxy Junior continued what has been an incredible 4-year-old year Saturday by winning the $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go.
A 4-year-old Pennsylvania-bred filly conditioned by Bernard Houghton, Foxy Junior covered the 1 1/16 mile under jockey Jomar Torres in 1:44.18 for her third consecutive victory and sixth win in seven starts this year.
Foxy Junior was rated in second by Torres as Malibu Beauty set fractions of :23.74 and :47:51. But approaching the far turn, Foxy Junior started moving the pacesetter and took the lead for good approaching the eighth pole.
“She was sharp. She came into this race really good,” Houghton said. “I was very confident at the three-eighths pole.”
Foxy Junior has won nine of 19 starts, five of eight at the distance, and has amassed more than $300,000.