Res Judicata runs away with City of Laurel

Saturday was the City of Laurel Stakes and Salute the Troops Celebration at

Laurel Park and Res Judicata proved to be the star of the four-race stakes

program, drawing away to a 4 1/4-length decision in the $100,000

City

of Laurel for three-year-olds.

Bred in Pennsylvania by owner Someday Farm, Res Judicata broke on top but

quickly settled into a tracking second as Edge of Reality showed the way in :23

2/5 and :47 on a short lead. Jockey Kendrick Carmouche asked Res Judicata

leaving the far turn and the chestnut gelding quickly responded, advancing to

take a commanding advantage in upper stretch. He passed the three-quarters mark

in 1:10 4/5 with an expanding 3 1/4-length cushion and galloped to the finish

line, completing seven furlongs in 1:23 on the fast track.

The John Servis trainee was overlooked at 7-1 among 10 rivals. With the

$60,000 payday, the two-time stakes winner has now earned $236,780 from a

12-5-2-0.

Res Judicata recorded his first stakes victory in last year's Christopher

Elser Memorial at Parx Racing for Pennsylvania-breds. He rebounded Saturday from

an unplaced, troubled effort in the September 21 Researcher Stakes on a sloppy

track at Charles Town.

"Once he left, we went with the seven (Edge of Reality) and kind of let him

set the fractions," Carmouche said. "(Servis) said just make one run with him. I

stayed clear on the outside and then when we got to the quarter pole, it was a

race from there on. They were either going to beat me or not beat me."

Res Judicata has now captured three of his last five starts, mixing a pair of

easy wins over optional claiming foes along with a couple of unplaced efforts.

"It seems like every other race, he runs a good one," the jockey added. "He

set up good today. It was perfect."

Souper Knight closed fast for second, 1 1/4 lengths better than third-placer

City of Weston. Edge of Reality, English Manor, Do It for Don, Pappa Portmore

and Perilous Indian came next under the wire. Falling Sky, the 5-2 favorite,

stumbled at the start and gave way after rushing up into contention on the

backstretch, winding up ninth. Pitch N Roll completed the order of finish, and

Bond Vigilante and Gunderson were both scratched.

Howard Bender's homebred Access to Charlie kicked off the stakes action with

a hard-fought victory in the $83,500

Geisha

for Maryland-bred fillies and mares, out-dueling Monster Sleeping and Mystic

Love in a thrilling three-horse finish. Access to Charlie rallied three wide

from just off the pace to challenge in midstretch, overhauling Monster Sleeping

to her inside, and gutted out a neck decision. Mystic Love joined the action on

the far outside in deep stretch and narrowly missed in third, a head behind the

runner-up.

Malibu Beach, Daydreamin Gracie and Vianney Lane came next under the wire,

and Nashly's Vow was scratched.

Favored at 9-5 among six rivals, Access to Charlie was making her first start

since June and snapped a six-race losing skein. The five-year-old daughter of

Indian Charlie had placed in three black-type races earlier this year, but the

dark bay mare garnered her first stakes tally since the 2011 Twixt at Laurel.

She's now earned $241,220 from a 21-5-2-5 scorecard.

Julian Pimentel guided the Lawrence Murray-trained winner, who completed the

one-turn mile in 1:39 2/5.

Mrs. Frank P. Wright's homebred Lady Sabelia made her stakes debut a winning

one in the $100,000

Safely

Kept, winning by nearly two lengths over 15-1 outsider Flattering Bea. Off

as the 7-1 fourth choice, the winner was prominent from the start under jockey

Horacio Karamanos, tracking early splits of :22 1/5 and :45 1/5 before taking

the lead in upper stretch.

Lady Sabelia, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Majestic Warrior, strode home a

comfortable winner in the seven-furlong event for three-year-old fillies,

stopping the teletimer in 1:23 4/5. The Robin Graham-trained dark bay needed

four starts before earning her first victory, posting a 12-length decision over

maiden special weight foes at Laurel on October 2, and recorded her second

consecutive impressive performance on Saturday. The dark bay lass has now

bankrolled $96,100 from a 5-2-1-1 line.

"She really impressed me when she broke her maiden," Karamanos said. "I

didn't know about this one because she had to improve a lot. It's the first time

she went any distance. I kept close to the favorite and then let her go. She got

a little tired but she really tried hard to the wire. I knew my horse could win

if she could get the distance."

"She has a lot of class," Graham added. "She had to get a little bit tired

jumping up in class and distance but she's all right. Last fall her shins were

bothering her so we stopped. Obviously we didn't want to take this long to come

back but it took this long to get her shins right. It just worked out. With the

breaking of the maiden in her last start we decided to skip the allowance to go

in this spot, since it was the last three-year-old filly stakes left here."

Flattering Bea finished a nose better than 2-1 favorite Crazy About Me. Mr

Hall's Opus, Asiya, Ek Haseena, Awesome Mama, Ghost Flower, Sunlit City, Fully

Living and Champagne Rain came next in the 11-horse field. Maddy's Dance and

Wild About Irene were withdrawn.

Slip and Drive held by a nose to register a 22-1 upset in the lone turf

stakes, the $100,000

Japan

Racing Association. The five-year-old gelded son of Artie Schiller got away

with early splits of :25 3/5, :50 3/5 and 1:14 3/5 before digging in gamely to

win a photo finish over the fast-charging Roadhog.

Owned by Jer-Mar Stable, Slip and Drive was bred in Maryland by John and

Margaret Crane. The McLean Robertson trainee posted his first stakes victory on

Saturday, defeating open rivals with jockey Carlos Marquez Jr., and stepped 1

1/16 miles in 1:42 4/5 on the firm course.

He entered the race off of a sixth in the September 26 With Anticipation at

Delaware Park. Runner-up in the Brooks Fields at Canterbury Park four starts

previously, Slip and Drive improved his overall record to 17-6-4-2, $303,365.

Roadhog, who was 7-1, finished a half-length better than 26-1 Super Chunky,

and the 7-1 Paris Vegas completed the longshot superfecta. Next came London

Lane, Air Support, Riding the River, 2-1 favorite Utley, Dannhauser and Sneaky

Kitten. Bo Strikes Back, Bob's Gone Wild, Hakama, Saint Pierre, Stephanoatsee

and Vitium were all scratched.

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