Two Notch Road Sprints to Upset in $60,000 White Oak Farm

Queen Caroline Reigns in $60,000 Nellie Mae Cox

 

BALTIMORE – Panic Stable LLC’s Rose Brier took the lead straightening for home and held off late-running Special Envoy to keep his perfect Maryland record intact with a one-length victory in Saturday’s $60,000 Edward P. Evans at historic Pimlico Race Course.

 

The 1 1/16-mile Edward P. Evans was the first of three stakes restricted to Virginia-bred/sired horses, followed by the $60,000 White Oak Farm and $60,000 Nellie Mae Cox, and kicked off five total turf stakes worth $330,000 on the nine-race Maryland-Virginia Breeders’ Day program.

 

Favored at 4-5 in a field of seven 3-year-olds and up, Rose Brier ($3.60) and jockey Alex Cintron completed the distance in 1:42.77 over a firm turf course for his fourth win in as many tries in Maryland but first at Old Hilltop.

 

Previously, the 7-year-old Mizzen Mast gelding won the Bert Allen Stakes in 2014 and 2015 and set the one-mile Kelso Turf Course course record in winning the Henry S. Clark Stakes April 23 at Laurel Park.

 

“It’s always a concern. Sometimes they just don’t like a certain track,” winning trainer Jane Cibelli said by phone from Monmouth Park. “Everything went well. I thought Alex rode a very good race especially for never having been on him and it went his way. This horse is just the coolest horse. He just always shows up. I just love him. He’s a great horse.”

 

Making his stakes debut, Cat Fiftyfive jumped to the lead from post 2 and was chased through a quarter-mile in 23.88 seconds by Gumper before Rose Brier moved up willingly to challenge after a half in 48.46.

 

Cat Fiftyfive remained in front after six furlongs in 1:12.29 until Cintron gave Rose Brier his cue. They cruised to the lead and powered down the stretch as Grade 3-placed Special Envoy, the 8-5 second choice, rallied down the center of the course to pass Cat Fiftyfive for second. They were followed under the line by Thunderinwillie, Officer’s Oath, Willisville and Gumper.

 

“The trainer said to break and let him relax and make one run. He ran exactly like she told me,” Cintron said. “It was easy. I only hit him a few times and when I looked at the other horse he was way behind me. I saw him making up a lot of ground but I knew the wire was coming.”

 

Rose Brier now has 13 wins and has been in the top three in 27 of 33 lifetime starts, with $422,726 in purse earnings. He posted back-to-back front-running victories since returning from a six-month layoff in March before finishing third by a length in the Red Bank (G3) June 5.

 

“I was really happy that he didn’t go to the lead because the last couple races I’ve been like, ‘What’s going on with this horse? Why does he keep jumping out of there and go into the lead?’ I kind of felt like what happened, happened in those races. I told Alex if you go to the lead you’re going to get into a speed duel and it’s going to set it up for Special Envoy,” Cibelli said. “I’ve run against Special Envoy before. He’s a nice horse and I know they thought a lot of him in his career and he was the horse to beat. All I can say is I’m glad it was a mile and a sixteenth and not a mile and an eighth.”

 

Two Notch Road Sprints to Upset in $60,000 White Oak Farm

 

Though bred in Virginia, Two Notch Road has found a home in Maryland. The 9-year-old gelding earned his third career stakes victory and first at Pimlico in the $60,000 White Oak Farm for 3-year-olds and up.

 

Sent off at 12-1, Two Notch Road ($27.60) split horses in mid-stretch and pulled away to a one-length victory in 56.89 seconds for five furlongs over a firm turf. He was followed by Moon River, Available, Made Bail and Joe Tess, each separated by a head. Exaggerated finished last as the 1-5 favorite in a field of 11. 

 

It was the first stakes attempt for Two Notch Road since defending his 2014 victory in the 5 ½-furlong Punch Line last fall at Laurel Park.

 

“He loves it here. He likes Laurel, also. We’re going to try for a three-peat,” said winning trainer Glenn Thompson, who co-owns the horse with breeder James Hackman. “He’s insane. He’s a 9-year-old that has a 2-year-old brain. When he walks in here I have to saddle him outside. He’s quite entertaining.”

 

Jockey Julien Pimentel rated Two Notch Road behind early pacesetter Made Bail before coming off the rail to find a seam and sprint to the wire ahead of a blanket finish. Pimentel was also aboard in the 2015 Punch Line.

 

“It was a perfect trip,” Pimentel said. “I sat behind horses and when it was time to go he kicked in. He always tries.”

 

Queen Caroline Reigns $60,000 Nellie Mae Cox

 

Amy Moore’s Queen Caroline made her stakes debut a winning one, rallying from just off the lead for a one-length victory in the $60,000 Nellie Mae Cox for fillies and mares 3 and up.

 

A 3-year-old Blame filly trained by Michael Matz and favored at 6-5 off her maiden victory over older horses May 21 at Pimlico, Queen Caroline ($4.60) ran 1 1/16 miles on the firm turf in 1:42.41.

 

Alex Cintron, who won the $60,000 Edward P. Evans earlier in the day with Rose Brier, was able to get Queen Caroline into a stalking position three wide after breaking from outside post 13 behind pacesetting Hooligan, who started from the rail.

 

“I wanted to get a good position early in the race,” said Cintron. “I used a little bit of her speed just to get in the race early and then dropped in to save ground, and everything worked out perfect. She was running good at the end. I was saving ground but I was in the clear at the same time.”

 

Secret Or Not, at 13-1, followed Queen Caroline as she made her move and got up for second, 1 ¼ lengths ahead of Hooligan. Sweet Sandy finished fourth.