Royal Lahaina scores upset in Go for Wand
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Trainer Todd Pletcher won with the longer price of his two entrants in Friday's Grade 2, $300,000 Wand Handicap when Royal Lahaina streaked down the Aqueduct stretch to post a 2 1/2-length victory in the one-mile race for fillies and mares. Settled into a perfect outside stalking while her pacesetting stablemate Fantasy of Flight set fractions of :24 2/5, :48 1/5 and 1:12 3/5, Royal Lahaina advanced from third approaching the quarter pole outside of Fantasy of Flight and Ol Donyo. The James Riccio-owned mare blew past those rivals at the top of the stretch and drew off to win comfortably under Jose Ortiz. "She broke very well and I was able to get perfect position on the outside," Ortiz said. "At the three-eighths pole I knew I had a lot of horse so I just waited a little bit. When I asked her to go, she did." Sent off at 13-1, Royal Lahaina paid $28.20, $9.50 and $5 after completing the distance in 1:36 2/5 over a fast track. |
Centring, the 2-1 favorite, rallied late to get second by a neck over second
choice My Pal Chrisy. It was another 3 1/4 lengths back to Willet, who was
followed by Ol Donyo, Fantasy of Flight and Street Girl. Executiveprivilege was
scratched.
Royal Lahaina made her stakes debut earlier this year while under the care of
trainer Rudy Rodriguez, finishing a distant fifth in the Sixty Sails Handicap at
Hawthorne. She rebounded to take the $100,000 Mariensky, an off-the-turf
overnight stakes at Belmont, by 1 1/4 lengths in early June.
In her final two starts for Rodriguez, Royal Lahaina finished a distant fifth
in the Shuvee Handicap at Saratoga and second to the classy Summer Applause in
the $72,000 Lady's Secret at Monmouth.
The five-year-old mare made her debut for Pletcher in the Turnback the Alarm
Handicap at Belmont on October 26, where she finished fourth while not offering
a significant bid. After this initial graded stakes triumph, her record now
stands at 25-7-5-2, $513,830.
"She'd been keeping some heady company. She'd trained well the past couple of
weeks and she certainly has an affinity for Aqueduct," assistant trainer Michael
McCarthy said.
A daughter of Chapel Royal, Royal Lahaina was produced by the winning
Fabulous Bonus, a daughter of Bonus Money. Royal Lahaina's third dam was Grade 1
winner Fabulous Notion, who reared Grade 1 winner Fabulously Fast.
Champion turf mare Fiji and Grade 1 winners Cacoethes, Subordination and
Careless Jewel also hail from this female line.
Royal Lahaina was bred in Kentucky by Anthony Guida.
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