Delgado rides Colstar to victory in Gallorette; Ecton Park breezes on Preakness undercard

IT IS becoming quite an East Coast rivalry. First, New Jersey filly Jostle beats New Yorker March Magic in Aqueduct's Demoiselle Stakes (G2) last fall.Then March Magic returns the favor in the Comely Stakes (G3), also at Aqueduct, in April.

Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2)
Pimlico, May 19, $200,000, 11/8 miles, muddy, 1:52.56
1—JOSTLE, f. 3, Brocco—Moon Drone, by Drone.
2—March Magic, f. 3, Evansville Slew—Bay Magic, by Ack Ack.
3—Impending Bear, f. 3, Farma Way—Harlan Honey, by Silver Hawk.

Now, Jostle is on top again after a gritty, 2½-length triumph over the favored March Magic in the $200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2), the feature race on Pimlico's Preakness Stakes (G1) eve card.

It kind of makes you look forward to their next probable meeting, in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) on July 22. John Servis, Jostle's trainer, certainly is—that and the Alabama Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on August 19 are his major targets for her for the summer.

"We had those in mind for her all along," Servis said. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Cash Run and Ashland Stakes (G1) winner Rings a Chime, the two best-known horses in the race, finished fourth and last, respectively, in the seven-horse field. Impending Bear, a 6.10-to-1 shot, was third, 5½ lengths behind 2.30-to-1 March Magic and a nose in front of Cash Run.

Kent Desormeaux, in an abbreviated dress rehearsal for the Preakness, and Jostle, fourth-betting choice at 5.90-to-1, stalked the early leaders. He tipped three-wide at the three-eighths pole and overtook Cash Run midway through the far turn.

March Magic looped the rest of the field on the turn and looked like a winner until she drifted in while changing leads near the three-sixteenths pole, where Jostle dug in.

"When my horse reacted the way she did to March Magic's challenge, I knew it was going to take something pretty miraculous to beat her," Servis said.

Rick Violette Jr., trainer of March Magic, said his filly always makes a short left when changing leads.

"We just left her with too much to do," Violette said. "She was too far back early." Jostle earned $120,000 for owner Ralph Evans, pushing her career earnings to $408,170.

Gallorette Handicap

Alberto Delgado knew every inch of Pimlico's strip in the years he dominated in Maryland before moving on to New York in 1999. By the looks of his ride aboard 3.10-to-1 winner Colstar in the Gallorette Handicap (G3) on May 19, he still does.

Gallorette H. (G3)
Pimlico, May 19, $100,000, 11/16 miles, turf, good, 1:43.60
1—COLSTAR, f. 4, Opening Verse—Ascend, by Risen Star.
2—Melody Queen (GB), f. 4, =Merdon Melody (GB)—Thabeh (GB), by Shareef Dancer.
3—Terreavigne, m. 5, Belong to Me—Im a Star Prospect, by Mr. Prospector.

Ninth at the start, the duo stalked the speed most of the way and then went after the leaders turning for home. After snatching the lead from Proud Run, the filly drew away for a 2½-length victory in the 11/16-mile, $100,000 stakes. The turf was rated good after overnight and intermitten rain throughout the day.

"We had a perfect trip," Delgado said. "We were laying third behind the speed just where she likes to be, covered up.

"I wanted to wait with her as long as I could because she waits on horses. But today when I asked her, she didn't wait when she made the lead. She just went on."

Melody Queen (GB) got up late in the stretch to nose Terreavigne for third, and Camella was fourth.

A four-year-old daughter of Opening Verse, Colstar earned $60,000 for Beverly Randolph Steinman.

It was her sixth win in nine starts on turf.

The Dixie

The Dixie Stakes (G2), run as the seventh race and on a good turf course, provided the tightest, most exciting finish on the Preakness day undercard.

Dixie S. (G2)
Pimlico, May 20, $200,000, 11/8 miles, turf, good, 1:50.42
1—QUIET RESOLVE, g. 5, Affirmed—Quiet Cleo, by No Louder.
2—Haami, h. 5, Nashwan—Oumaldaaya, by Nureyev.
3—Holditholditholdit, c. 4, Hermitage—No Stoppin' Me, by Persevered.

Sam-Son Farms' Canada-bred Quiet Resolve came running late and hard and pushed in front of Haami at the wire to claim the $120,000 winner's share of the $200,000 purse.

"Until the finish line, I was really, really skeptical I'd get there," jockey Robby Albarado said. So were the fans. Shadwell Stable's Haami, who took the lead with Shane Sellers up soon after the start, had a 1½-length lead at the head of the stretch.

Private Slip tried to press Haami but soon found himself behind by five lengths as the pacesetter sprinted away in an effort to steal the race.

"I had a great trip," Albarado said. "We anticipated a lot of early speed and it sure did show up. It set up good for us."

Trainer Mark Frostad said he was a bit worried before Quiet Resolve's late move because it appeared he was in tight quarters.

"But then he saw daylight and fired," Frostad said.

Last time out, Quiet Resolve won a 11/16-mile grass allowance at Keeneland by a neck over Rhythmean. Frostad said he will point the horse toward the King Edward Breeders' Cup Handicap on June 11 at Woodbine Racecourse.

The Dixie was just the second start in America for Haami, who had been racing in Germany, England, and Ireland. In his American debut, he finished fourth in the Fort Marcy Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct on May 6.

"I couldn't tell from the past performances what kind of races they were over there," Sellers said. "They said he had speed, and he showed it, but I couldn't talk him out of it. He ran a game race. I'm sorry to see him lose it."

The victory pushed the five-year-old gelding's career earnings to $864,495.

Dr. Max's Maryland Breeders' Cup

Dr. Max probably should have been named Dr. Frankenstein or Dr. Strangelove because he is one of the most hateful horses that trainer Gloria Wenderoth has ever come across.

She loves him anyway—especially after he won the $137,000 Maryland Breeders' Cup Handicap (G3) on May 20 by a nose over Moon Over Prospect at odds of 14.70-to-1. Along with collecting the $60,000 winner's share of the purse, the four-year-old son of Dover Ridge provided Wenderoth with her first stakes win. Dr. Max more than doubled his career purses for breeder Martin Bernstein and partner Rufus Freeman.

"He's the meanest horse in my stable," Wenderoth said after the six-furlong sprint, which immediately preceded the Preakness. "He's small, quick, very mean, and all he does is keep winning. I let him get down anytime he wants."

Dr. Max's triumph over such horses as multiple graded stakes winner Yes It's True (last of seven) in 1:10.91 on the wet track was a big step up from his previously biggest race, a second-place finish in the $75,000 Fire Plug Stakes at Pimlico on April 15.

But Wenderoth was so sure the lightly raced Dr. Max could win that she scratched him out of an overnight race on Preakness eve. "I just entered him in that as a precaution, in case he didn't get into this," she said. "There were a lot of nominees."

Starting from the outside post position, Dr. Max broke crisply but rated for Sellers for the first half-mile. When asked to accelerate, however, he moved into third in midstretch, three lengths behind Moon Over Prospect, and slowly wore down the leader to win on the wire. Crucible finished a neck farther back in third and was 1¾ lengths ahead of Memory Tap.

Roza Robata's Distaff

A pair of Midwest invaders, Roza Robata and Pat Day, scored a runaway victory in the Pimlico Distaff Handicap (G3), drawing away in the final furlong to a 4½-length victory over Bella Chiarra. On a Soapbox finished third. Roza Robata, trained by Dale Romans and sent off as the 2-to-1 favorite, completed the Pimlico Distaff's 11/8 miles in 1:49.82 over a track rated as good. After reserving Roza Robata toward the back of the field of eight fillies and mares, Day tipped her out into the fourth path off the rail, and the five-year-old Fire Maker mare powered toward the front. She rolled past Bella Chiarra inside the furlong pole for the victory.

Romans said he made a late change in plans to ship the McKee Stables' mare to Baltimore for the $200,000 Pimlico Distaff. "We had not been pointing her for this race. We were looking at the Fleur de Lis (Handicap [G3] on June 3) at Churchill," Romans said. "But she came out of her last race (Louisville Breeders' Cup Handicap [G2] on Derby eve) so well, we decided to come here.

"I knew she would run big," he added. "Pat rode a great race. She didn't break that well, but Pat was patient, and there was a pretty good pace up front. So it all worked out."

William Donald Schaefer Handicap

The third time was sort of the charm for W. Elliott Walden. After two consecutive Preakness day seconds, Walden finally had a stakes winner.

Unfortunately, his first trip to a Maryland winner's circle came with even-money favorite Ecton Park in the $97,000 William Donald Schaefer Handicap rather than in the Preakness.

"I wish it would have happened a year or two before," said Walden, who finished second to Silver Charm in the '97 Preakness with Victory Gallop and second to Real Quiet with Menifee in '98. "But we'll take what we get."

What he got was a rousing wire-to-wire run on the lead with Pat Day aboard Ecton Park, who did not seem to notice the muddy track as he won the 11/8-mile race by 8¼ lengths. The Groom Is Red, with Albarado up, made up a ton of ground on Crosspatch and Get Away With It (Ire) to finish second. But he lacked the gear to make any sort of threatening move on the winner.

Broken Vow's Sir Barton

Three also was a lucky number in the $100,000 Sir Barton Stakes as Maryland trainer H. Graham Motion achieved his third victory in the 11/16-mile race for three-year-olds. This year's winner was Broken Vow, who pushed his 3-for-3 record for Pin Oak Stable to four consecutive wins.

Broken Vow, a 3.30-to-1 shot ridden by Sellers, stalked the pace established in a speed duel between Sun Cat and Tim's Crossing in fourth place.

Their fractions were a moderate :23.37 and :46.90, but the muddy track must have taken its toll. Broken Vow had no problem making his winning move coming around the home turn and went on to beat late-charging Grundlefoot by three-quarters of a length. Inner Harbour was third, another half-length back.

Pin Oak's homebred is another promising son of 1990 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Unbridled. Unraced last year, he went into the Sir Barton off a maiden special weight in February and two allowance races at Gulfstream Park and Delaware Park in April.

"This is a very nice horse, an exceptional horse," Motion said. "He is a serious horse." Motion also praised track superintendent John Passero for keeping the track "fair."