Rose Brier Blooms Again in $75,000 Henry S. Clark
Rose Brier Blooms Again in $75,000 Henry S. Clark
Stays Unbeaten on Laurel Turf with One-Mile Stakes Victory
Super Hi-5 Carryover for Sunday’s Opener
Pimentel Expected to Return to Riding April 29
LAUREL, MD – Panic Stable’s Rose Brier made a record-setting return to Laurel Park on Saturday, leading from start to finish and holding off a late bid from Golden Sabre for a 1 ¼-length win the $75,000 Henry S. Clark Stakes.
Trained by Jane Cibelli with meet-leading rider Trevor McCarthy aboard, Rose Brier remained undefeated in three lifetime starts on the Laurel turf, all in stakes, after running one mile in 1:33.11 over a course labeled good.
The winning time broke the Kelso Turf Course record of 1:33.3 set by Saint Pierre on Sept. 7, 2012. Last Saturday, Seeking Treasure broke the Bowling Green course record in the $75,000 Dahlia Stakes, also at a mile.
It was the second straight front-running victory for Rose Brier ($7.20), coming off a half-length win going 1 1/16 miles March 29 at Gulfstream Park in his 7-year-old debut. He closed 2015 with a two-length triumph Sept. 26 in the Bert Allen Stakes at Laurel, his second straight win in that race, both also with McCarthy.
“The older he gets it seems like the sharper he gets and the better he gets,” McCarthy said. “Today, he just jumped out of the gate and was like, ‘Hey, let’s go. I’m ready.’ I let him do his thing and he relaxed out there real nice.”
Rose Brier broke sharply and went straight to the front, with 2015 Maryland-bred turf champion Phlash Phelps on his right flank through a quarter-mile in 23.96 seconds, a half in 46.93 and six furlongs in 1:10.06.
The two turned for home together and Rose Brier had something left to pull away from Phlash Phelps in the final sixteenth and turn back Golden Sabre’s dramatic run along the rail for his third straight victory.
“It was a pretty quick pace and the course was fast. I was a bit nervous with him on the front but, me and him, we get along great. He’s a cool horse. He’s just great and does everything right. He’s starting to be one of my favorite horses. I just want to thank Jane and the whole crew, everybody. They do such a good job with him and I’m just so delighted that I get to ride him every time.”
Edge of Reality, Special Envoy, Call First and Dynamic Strike completed the order of finish. Cage Fighter, the narrow 2-1 favorite, was pulled up in upper stretch after encountering problems with both front shoes, according to the state veterinarian. Mister Brightside, Golden Glint and Blacktype were scratched.
“The horse was coming off a little bit of a layoff and broke sharp down at Gulfstream and ran a huge race,” said Cibelli’s assistant, Mark Hartman. “He broke sharp again today. He’s been showing a little speed, which is kind of unusual for him but I guess maybe he’s changed his style of running. We were expecting him to run big, we really were. He’s been training really, really well.”
Super Hi-5 Carryover for Sunday’s Opener
There will be a carryover of $2,309.71 in the $1 Super Hi-5 for the first of 10 races on Sunday’s program at Laurel Park.
One lucky better solved the 20-cent Rainbow 6 on Saturday, correctly putting together the winning six-race sequence for a return of $7,264.30. A total of $3,799 was bet into the pool for the popular multi-race wager, which had a carryover of $4,224.87.
The carryover jackpot is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.
The winning five-race sequence was good for a payoff of $1,185.20 in Saturday’s 50-cent Late Pick 5, which featured a carryover of $7,611.57 and saw $22,328 wagered into the pool.
First race post time Sunday is 1:10 p.m.
Pimentel Expected to Return to Riding April 29
Agent Ronnie Gerardo said Saturday that journeyman Julian Pimentel, regular rider for Grade 3-winning multi-millionaire Ben’s Cat, will be back in action starting with the April 29 program at Laurel Park.
Entries will be taken Sunday for the penultimate Friday program of Laurel’s current winter meet which ends May 8.
“He got on a couple of horses today and felt really good, no pain at all just about. The foot didn’t swell up or anything,” Gerardo said. “Tomorrow he’s working three horses and he’s working some Monday, also. We are a go for Friday, 100 percent.”
Pimentel has not ridden since finishing off the board with I’m In on April 15, his first mount back off a month layoff. He has been aboard 25-time stakes winner Ben’s Cat in 30 consecutive races and 41 of 53 lifetime starts.
Notes: Jockey Victor Carrasco reached the 50-win mark for the meet with back-to-back wins Saturday aboard Malibu Preacher ($6.40) in the seventh race and Crafty Regan ($5.80) in the eighth. Trainer Kieron Magee and jockey Fergal Lynch teamed up for a pair of wins with Golden Rings ($7.60) in the sixth and Mail Order Groom ($7.40) in the 11th.
Jockey Taylor Hole took off his remaining three mounts Saturday with a bruised elbow after his mount, L G Crash, hit the side of the starting gate in Saturday’s fourth race. Agent Ben Feliciano Sr. said Hole’s elbow was sore and swollen. “He said he didn’t feel he could do 100 percent so he took off the rest of the day,” he said. “We’ll know more in the morning and he wakes up and sees how bad it is.” Hole is named in two of 10 races Sunday.
