Upsets in Inaugural Turf Sprint Stakes

Upsets in Inaugural Turf Sprint Stakes at Hawthorne

Sunday marked the inaugural running of a pair of $100,000 turf sprints as The Lady Carey Turf Sprint and Robert S. Molaro Memorial Turf Sprint took place. While the day opened with the course listed as firm, heavy rains early in the card downgraded the course to yielding for the pair of stakes events.

Lady Carey Turf Sprint – Supplement Daring Do with the Upset

A field of eight was sent to the gate for the inaugural running of The Lady Carey Turf Sprint at five furlongs as multiple stakes winning mare Oeuvre was sent away as the 8-5 choice. Breaking on top was Wide West (Ire) as jockey Keiber Coa guided her through a contested opening quarter in :22.00 over the yielding course. Rileys Redemption pressed Wide West into the turn as a wall of horses lined up behind the leaders. After a half in :44.86, Wide West was still on top into the stretch, but only four lengths separated the entire field. Late in the lane, jockey Walter Rodriguez angled Daring Do to the outside while David Cohen guided longshot Laura’s Charm to the rail. At the wire a blanket of five horses we separated by only one length as Daring Do rallied to win by a half-length. Laura’s Charm was able to get up for second as Wide West just held third over a strong closing Oeuvre. The final time for the five furlongs over the yielding course was :57.05.

Owned by Lael Stables and trained by Wesley Ward, Daring Do earned $60,000 for the victory, returning $16.20, $8.40 and $4.80 as third wagering choice in The Lady Carey. The second longest price on the board at 18-1, Laura’s Charm paid $15.00 and $7.20. At nearly 17-1, Wide West (Ire) returned $8.80 to show.

Robert S. Molaro Memorial – Mischievous Rogue Catches One Timer

A trio of supplements brought some star power to the field for the inaugural Robert S. Molaro Turf Sprint as 2023 Breeders Cup Turf Sprint champ Nobals was joined by graded stakes winning stablemate One Timer for trainer Larry Rivelli and stakes-placed Mischievous Rogue was supplemented for Mike Maker. Nobals was scratched on Sunday as the connections chose to send him to Saratoga for his 2024 debut, leaving One Timer as the 1-2 post time favorite off the ten-month layoff.

Ridden by David Cohen, One Timer broke sharply from the inside and made the lead but was challenged early by longshots Cyclone Attack and Mark of the Z. After an opening quarter in :22.32, One Timer maintained a head advantage into the turn but was never given a breather. Battling into the lane and able to put away the early pressure, One Timer faced a fresh challenge from Money War through the half in :44.87 as Mischievous Rogue and Samuel Bermudez began their rally between horses. The pressure was too much for One Timer as Mischievous Rogue was able to run by late, winning by two-and-a-half lengths. One Timer was game to battle back for place money while Money War finished third. The final time was a very quick :56.39 over the yielding course.

Owned by Paradise Farms Corp., David Staudacher and JP Racing Stable, Mischievous Rogue returned $7.60, $2.60 and $2.40 as the 5-2 second choice. One Timer paid $2.20 and $2.20 while Money War returned $4.20 to show.