NEWS
It’s Tea Time easy winner of Lake Placid
Posted: Sunday, August 22, 2010 5:10 PM
IT'S TEA TIME WINS LAKE PLACID
Adam Coglianese/NYRA photo
To watch a replay of the Lake Placid, click here.
by Phil Janack
Given a well-calculated ride by Julien Leparoux, It’s Tea Time splashed through the stretch to win the $150,000 Woodford Reserve Lake Placid Handicap (G3) by 7 ¼ lengths on a soggy Sunday at Saratoga Race Course.
Originally carded for 1 1/8 miles on the inner turf course, the Lake Placid was switched to the same distance on a sealed main track listed as sloppy. The original six-horse field was cut in half after Exclusive Love, No Explaining (Ire), and morning-line favorite Check the Label were scratched. The Lake Placid was downgraded from a Grade 2 to a Grade 3 race because of the surface switch, pending a review by the American Graded Stakes Committee.
An Alex G. Campbell Jr. homebred trained by Rusty Arnold, It’s Tea Time was floated five wide on the first turn before rating comfortably behind Hatheer and Triple Cream, who dueled through fractions of :24.37, :48.99, and 1:14.46 through six furlongs.
As Triple Cream began to fade on the far turn, Leparoux moved It’s Tea Time up to challenge Hatheer with about a quarter-mile to run. The three-year-old Dynaformer filly took command near the top of the stretch and drew off, crossing the finish line in 1:54.52 as the 0.75-to-1 favorite for her first career stakes win.
Hatheer was a decisive second, 13 ½ lengths in front of Triple Cream.
It’s Tea Time improved to three wins and two seconds and $242,397 in purse earnings from seven lifetime starts, all this year. An allowance winner on the grass at Saratoga on August 1, she finished second by a neck to Evening Jewel in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) on the synthetic Polytrack surface at Keeneland Race Course and ninth, beaten by ten lengths by Blind Luck, in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on the dirt main track at Churchill.
Phil Janack is a Saratoga-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent
For an Equibase chart, click here.
