Lonesome Street finds company in Commonwealth winner's circle

Lonesome Street finds company in Commonwealth winner's

circle

A huge, celebratory crowd awaited Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Lonesome Street

after the Broken Vow chestnut posted a 2 1/4-length victory in the Grade 2,

$175,000

Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland on Saturday. Trained by Mike Maker and

expertly ridden by Joel Rosario, the five-year-old came from last to finish

seven Polytrack furlongs in 1:21.

"Well, obviously he's a hot jockey. That's all I can say," Maker said on

tabbing Rosario to ride his pupil. "I think the seven-eighths (distance)

probably suits (Lonesome Street) more than the five-eighths. Last time he got

hung out pretty wide and still ran a credible race.

"I haven't decided yet. Just looked forward to today," he added when asked

about what's next for Lonesome Street.

Plutonium and Comedero dueled through the opening half-mile of the

Commonwealth in fractions of :22 2/5 and :44 4/5 but soon found themselves

disposed from the front when Bergerac came three wide to take command through

three-quarters in 1:09 1/5. Lonesome Street began his run at the same time and

found himself five wide entering the lane.

Not long after Lonesome Street and Bergerac briefly hooked up before the

eventual winner put his rival away to pull off. Lonesome Street was the 4-1

fourth pick in the six-horse field and returned $10, $4.60 and $3 for this

score.

"I thought they were going a little quick early. This horse likes to make one

move. When I asked him, he just takes off, so that was great," Rosario said.

"(Maker) didn't tell me anything. He said just go out there and try to win the

race."

Bergerac, the 5-2 favorite, was best of the rest, while Right One, El Gran

Sol, Plutonium, Comedero and Philippe completed the order of finish.

Lonesome Street entered the Commonwealth off a pair of fifth-place finishes

against turf stakes company, a surface he's spent much of his career on. His

only stakes win prior to the Commonwealth came at Indiana Downs last June, which

also counted for his last win. The chestnut did go on to be second in the

Unbridled Stakes, adding that one to a pair of runner-up stakes efforts in 2010.

Saturday's win is the biggest of Lonesome Street's career thus far and improved

his line to read 24-5-5-3 with $358,585 in earnings.

Bred in Kentucky by Jon and Sarah Kelly, Lonesome Street sold to the Ramseys

as a $45,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall yearling. He is out of the Storm Cat

mare Street Cat, who is herself a daughter of Grade 3 victress Miss Union Avenue

and a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Union Avenue.