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Our Peek and Rosie Napravnik
upset the Private Terms S. at 73-1.
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Photo by Jim McCue) |
LAUREL, MD. 03-25-06---Twin Oaks Stable’s Our Peak, a 73-1 longshot with leading rider Rosie Napravnik working the reins, came charging down the middle of the racetrack to nip Ah Day in the shadow of the finish line and win the $85,000 Private Terms Stakes this afternoon at Laurel Park.
Napravnik, the 18-year-old apprentice sensation, won her first stakes race just last weekend aboard Reckless Ways. Her star continues to ascend as she brought the son of Peaks And Valleys home in 1:38.66 in the one mile Private Terms.
Katy Voss trains Our Peak, a winner of just a maiden race and an allowance start, both at nearby Charles Town. Today’s race was his stakes debut.
Our Peak lit up the parimutuel board with payoffs of $149.80, $48.20 and $13 across the board. He topped a $960.80 exacta with Ah Day and a $5,146.20 triple with Ah Day and Sunshine Alpine, who finished third.
Napravnik said, “He was in a pretty good position and I got to pick my spot behind the frontrunners. I thought he might get tired because he was on his left-lead the entire time and was stretching out for the first time but when I tapped him on the shoulder he woke up and I knew we had a chance. As soon as it was a maybe I thought we would definitely win because he was running so hard. He didn’t look like a winner going into the race on paper but as soon as we had a clear shot at the leader I knew we were going to get there.”
“There was always a question of whether he could go long,” said Ryan Fogelsonger, who rode the runner-up. “But he liked the distance much better this time and kicked on when I asked. To get beat by a 70-1 shot is frustrating.”
“He ran great,” said Voss. “This was a tough race to try going long for the first time and he passed the test. I’m not sure where we’ll run him next. The Tesio ($150,000 race at Pimlico on April 22) is a possibility if he comes out back okay.”
Four of the last five years, the winner of this race ended up competing in the Preakness Stakes® that same spring: Bay Eagle (2001), Magic Weisner (2002), Water Cannon (2004) and Malibu Moonshine (2005). Only two of the 11 runners in the field were nominated to the Triple Crown, including Our Peak.
Napravnik, who has 77 victories during the current meet, is one of three bug riders ranked in the top seven nationally in victories. She plans on riding seven days a week during the spring, splitting her time between Pimlico and Delaware Park. In 51 days this year she has won at least one race 39 times with 24 multiple winning afternoons for earnings of $1,305,200. In the last six months of 2005, she won 71 races for purses of $1,310,705.
LAKE CAPTURES THREE RACES ON SATURDAY CARD
For the second time this week the barn of trainer Scott Lake won three races at Laurel Park. The 40-year-old conditioner scored with Pulpit Harbor ($3.80-third), Charming Jim ($3.40-eighth) and Neon Magic ($9.20-ninth).
It was the 13th multiple win day of the Laurel winter meeting for Lake, who regained the lead nationally from Steve Asmussen Saturday with victories at Laurel Park, Gulfstream Park and Philadelphia Park this afternoon.
For the week at Laurel, the barn has nine first place finishes from 15 starters with 13 in the money finishes.