Bodhisattva Impressive in Maryland Return Sunday
Bodhisattva Impressive in Maryland Return Sunday
Stakes Winner Goes Last to First to Capture Father’s Day Feature
BALTIMORE – Making his first start in Maryland in more than a year, Bodhisattva rallied from dead last with a powerful sweeping move on the far outside to win the featured seventh race on a special Father’s Day program Sunday at historic Pimlico Race Course.
Owned and trained by Jose Corrales, Bodhisattva ($25.80) ran 1 1/16 miles over a fast main track in 1:44.50 to win by 3 ¾ lengths over fellow stakes winner Mr. Palmer, the even-money favorite in a field of six.
It was the first victory for the 4-year-old Student Council colt since winning the Federico Tesio at Pimlico last April. He was no better than fourth in seven subsequent starts, running eighth behind Triple Crown champion American Pharoah in the 2015 Preakness Stakes (G1).
“None of them are easy, but we changed tactics today,” winning jockey Taylor Hole said. “[Corrales] said, ‘Don’t chase them, let him lag and make one big explosive move at the end,’ and it worked. He just kind of galloped by them. He went from last to first in an eighth of a mile and I galloped him home to the wire. They’re pretty nice when they can beat a bunch like this in hand running away from them.”
As expected, He’s Achance went straight to the lead and took the field through a quarter-mile in 24.47 seconds with D C Dancer in pursuit, running a half in 47.88 and six furlongs in 1:12.17 as Mr. Palmer took up the chase in second.
Bodhisattva was still reserved in last as the group left the backstretch before getting his cue from Hole and gaining steadily on the far outside, catching the leaders after straightening for home and rolling down the stretch under a hand ride.
“Taylor did a very good job with the horse all the way around,” Corrales said. “I rode a lot of horses and I rode horses like that. Sometimes, horses make one move and they freshen up and run better. You don’t have to rush them and put them on the lead. He’s the kind of horse that if you don’t do the right thing, he will not run anywhere. When I saw his head coming up at the three-eighths pole, I thought we had a chance.”
Mr. Palmer was a decisive second, six lengths ahead of Golden Glint, followed by He’s Achance, D C Dancer and Athelstane. Double Whammy and Segovia were scratched.
Rainbow 6 Carryover $3,367 for Thursday Program
There will be a jackpot carryover of $3,367.41 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 when live racing returns to Pimlico for an eight-race program Thursday.
First race post time is 1:10 p.m.
No one selected all six winners Sunday in the popular multi-race wager, while tickets with five of six winners returned $109.36.
Thursday’s Rainbow 6 spans Races 3-8 and includes the featured seventh, a $42,000 allowance going five furlongs on the turf which attracted a field of 10 fillies and mares 3 and up led by recent Pimlico maiden winner La Nina, a lukewarm 7-2 program favorite.
The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.
The Pick 5, which offers an industry-low 12 percent takeout, saw $13,891 wagered into the pool on Sunday to go along with a carryover of $5,194.06. The winning 6/8/2-4-11-12/5/5 combination was worth $8,709.10.
Note: Victor Carrasco picked up a pair of winners Sunday to take the lead in the jockey standings heading into the final week of racing. Carrasco was first aboard Jumpin Frac Flash ($7.40) in the second race and Joseph ($3.20) in the fifth.
