Gentlemen's Bet upsets Delaunay in Iowa Sprint

Leading sprinter Delaunay met defeat for the first time this season at

Prairie Meadows Friday night when falling to fellow Churchill Downs shipper

Gentlemen's Bet by 1 3/4 lengths in the $122,500

Iowa Sprint

Handicap.

Bumping with pacesetter Credit Report at the start, Delaunay was no more than

two lengths behind that rival down the backside. Making his bid around the turn,

Delaunay seized a short lead at the top of the stretch but was ultimately worn

down by Gentlemen's Bet, a four-year-old making just his sixth lifetime start.

The 9-5 second choice, Gentlemen's Bet returned $5.80 and $2.20 after completing

six furlongs on a fast track in 1:09 2/5 under David Mello.

Delaunay, the 3-10 favorite, finished more than five lengths clear of Credit

Report, who set splits of :21 3/5 and :44 2/5. Jasizzile and City Sage completed

the order of finish.

Owned by Harry Rosenblum and trained by Ron Moquett, Gentlemen's Bet had won

four of his five previous outings with his lone setback being a third in the

Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn on April 13. He entered the Iowa Sprint

off a Churchill allowance score where he stopped the timer in 1:07 4/5 for six

furlongs. He now has earnings of $216,700.

Bred by Juvenal Diaz in Florida, Gentlemen's Bet is a son of Half Ours and

the Gentlemen mare Lady of Sun, who is from the family of Grade 1 winner

Consolidator.

Moquett also trained Livi Makenzie, the winner of the $98,000

Saylorville for fillies and mares at six furlongs. The four-year-old

daughter of Macho Uno stalked the an early pace of :22 and :44 4/5 set by Lulu

Wong, and then ran down that rival inside the sixteenth pole to win by a length

in a time of 1:10 1/5. The 3-2 favorite paid $5, $2.80 and $2.20 with Israel

Ocampo in the irons.

Devious Intent also caught Lulu Wong late, beating her for second by 2 1/2

lengths. Second Street City finished fourth, while Denali Dreamscape trailed.

The race lost a bit of luster following the early scratch of morning-line

favorite Beat the Blues.

The Saylorville was the first stakes win for Livi Makenzie, who previously

placed in the Beaumont at Keeneland and the Optimistic Gal at Churchill, both in

2012. Her record now stands at 17-5-5-3, $272,109.

Owned by B J D Thoroughbreds, Livi Makenzie was bred in Kentucky by Scott

Pierce and Bobby Langley and was a $5,500 Keeneland September yearling. She was

reared by the Joyeux Danseur mare Greta's Joy, a half-sister to multiple Grade 2

winner Surf Cat.

Churchill shippers made a clean sweep on the first night of the Iowa Festival

of Racing when Preston Stables' Flashy American dominated her rivals by 5 1/2

lengths in the $102,250

Iowa

Distaff. Under Terry Thompson, the four-year-old gray by Flashy Bull

completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:44 3/5 and paid $3.60, $2.40 and $2.20 as the 4-5

favorite.

Magic Hour, who pressed a :23 2/5 and :47 1/5 pace set by Cruzette, opened up

a length advantage after six furlongs in 1:12 2/5, but yielded to the winner in

the stretch and just held off Itsabeautifulthing for second by a nose.

Completing the order of finish were Queen Lilly Kay, Miss Hockaday, Lava Girl,

and Cruzette.

Trained by Kenny McPeek, Flashy American was making her stakes debut in the

Iowa Distaff following a $62,500 optional claiming win at Churchill on June 6.

She had passed her first two allowance conditions last fall, and now sports a

line of 19-5-2-2, $225,133.

Bred in Kentucky by H & W Thoroughbreds, Flashy American was a $9,000

Keeneland November weanling. She was reared by the multiple stakes-placed Quiet

American mare Inn Between.

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