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Mr. Nightlinger wires Aegon Turf Sprint Martin Racing Stable and Carl Moore Management's MR. NIGHTLINGER (Indian Charlie) took the lead out of the gate despite bobbling at the start in Churchill Down's $126,400 Aegon Turf Sprint S. (G3), the opening stakes on Friday's Kentucky Oaks (G1) undercard, and was never headed en route to a length victory under jockey James Theriot. Posting splits of :22 3/5 and :44 3/5, the Bret Calhoun-trained four-year-old finished five furlongs on the firm turf in :56 as the 9-5 favorite, returning $5.60, $3.40 and $2.60. "It's really becoming his style to let him fall out of there," Theriot said. "He just places himself and that's where he wants to be. It looks like we have found a niche with him now -- he's two-for-two going short on the turf." Salute the Count (Count the Time) was just behind the winner at the beginning, but settled into fourth down the backstretch. He rallied in the stretch to take down second by a length over the late-running Atticus Kristy (Atticus), paying $4.40 and $3.40 as the 9-2 third pick. Show was worth $4.20 at 7-1, and the exotics gave back $28.40 (exacta), $135.20 (trifecta) and $339 (6-5-1-8 superfecta). Indian Ashton (Tribal Rule) followed in fourth by another three parts of a length, then came The Nth Degree (Distorted Humor), Sgt. Bert (Confide), Demarcation (Gulch) and Funky Pirate (Montbrook). Mr. Nightlinger, a $45,000 September yearling purchase, earned his second straight graded win with this one, having captured the Shakertown S. (G3) at Keeneland on April 13. The bay four-year-old ran third in last year's Lone Star Derby (G3), Pomona Derby and Derby Trial S., and now owns a 15-6-1-4 career mark. With the winner's share from the Aegon Turf Sprint, he has banked $320,015 during his career. Bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones, Mr. Nightlinger is out of the Time for a Change mare Timely Quarrel and has a pair of stakes-placed half-siblings in 2008 -- Turf Dash S. runner-up Prosico (Siphon [Brz]) and Valdale S. third Lovers Spat (Yankee Gentleman). Timely Quarrel is also responsible for an unraced two-year-old colt named Diferentkindagreat (Canadian Frontier) and an unnamed 2008 colt by Yankee Gentleman. This is the same female family as 1994 Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up and sire Strodes Creek (Halo), 1992 Del Mar Oaks (G2) queen Suivi (Diesis [GB]) and Grade 1 star Lets Dont Fight (Drone).
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