Alwaysinahurry Springs 11-1 Upset in Pimlico’s Sunday Feature
LAUREL, MD – Already a multiple stakes-winning owner, Joanne Shankle got her training career off to a flying start when 4-year-old gelding Dr. Ferber cruised to a popular 5 ¼-length victory in Sunday’s fourth race at historic Pimlico Race Course.
Under jockey Tais Lyapustina, Dr. Ferber ($6) won the 1 1/16-mile claiming event for 3-year-olds and up in 1:45.57 over a fast main track. It was the 24th career race for Dr. Ferber, a son and grandson of champions by Lookin At Lucky out of the Housebuster mare Thrill Seeker.
Lyapustina rated Dr. Ferber in sixth through a half-mile in 48.28 seconds. Kept in the clear, Dr. Ferber began to roll midway around the far turn and swept to the lead once straightened for home, edging clear under a hand ride for his fourth lifetime win and second in three starts following a nine-length romp July 23 at Laurel Park.
Entered for the $5,000 tag, Dr. Ferber was not claimed.
“I was nervous,” Shankle said of her first starter as a trainer, “[but] we had won with him before and felt that he belonged in the race.”
Shankle has worked as an assistant to trainer Rudy Sanchez-Salomon for nearly 10 years and was also one of his owners. She claimed Dr. Ferber for $8,000 out of a third-place finish in March at Laurel.
“We’ve been planning on it,” Shankle said. “I’ve been wanting to run the horses in my name.”
As an owner, Shankle has 30 wins from 171 starters since 2018, including 11-for-45 this year. Her top horse has been 6-year-old mare Can the Queen, winner of the May 20 The Very One and 2021 Sensible Lady Turf Dash, both at Pimlico. She is being pointed to a defense of her Sensible Lady victory Sept. 24.
“She’s my assistant, she’s my right hand, she’s my pretty much everything. She has learned well,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “She’s great. She’s a hard worker.”
“I’m very, very proud of her,” he added. “She’s doing things right and I hope that she continues to do things the same way that we do.”
Sanchez-Salomon said the plan is for Shankle to stay with him while she gets more experience before branching out.
“We’re going to work together until she gets better and then she’s going to go out on her own,” he said. “This is a great start for her.”
Alwaysinahurry Springs 11-1 Upset in Pimlico’s Sunday Feature
Mopo Racing’s Alwaysinahurry, winless in five previous starts this year, came with a steady run down the center of the track to catch Grade 3 winner Wondrwherecraigis and spring an 11-1 upset of Sunday’s stakes-quality feature at historic Pimlico Race Course.
Alwaysinahurry ($24.40), who had not won since becoming a stakes winner in the Concern last July at Laurel Park, got his nose down at the wire to win the six-furlong optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up in 1:10.42 over a fast main track.
“He has been [knocking on the door]. He’s been so unlucky. I think he should have won quite a few races but he hasn’t,” winning trainer Dale Capuano said. “Finally today, he had to hook this tough horse but he was able to get there.”
Alwaysinahurry was unhurried in the early going under Angel Cruz as jockey Sheldon Russell hustled Wondrwherecraigis to the front from Post 2, leading through a quarter-mile in 23.11 seconds and a half in 45.78 pressed by 2020 Maryland Million Sprint winner Karan’s Notion.
Wondrwherecraigis straightened for home having put Air Token away after five furlongs in 57.75 seconds, but Cruz swung Alwaysinahurry to the outside to take a run at the leader and get up in time. In his prior race, Alwaysinahurry ran third by 1 ½ lengths in a 6 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance Sept. 4 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.
“I’ve had good luck running horses at Timonium and coming back to the mile tracks over the years,” Capuano said. “It didn’t hurt him any, that’s for sure.”
Wondrwherecraigis was a decisive second, followed by 2021 Maryland Million Sprint winner Air Token and Final Shot. Torch of Truth was scratched.
Bred in Maryland by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Quin Bowan and Rebecca Davis, Alwaysinahurry will be pointed to the 32nd Jim McKay Maryland Million Oct. 22 at Laurel Park. He ran second to then-stablemate Kenny Had a Notion in the Nursery for 2-year-olds in 2020.
“Most likely the Maryland Million will be his next start,” Capuano said. “That’s been our plan.”
Notes: Trainer Dale Capuano sent out a pair of double-digit winners Sunday, No Angel ($33.20) in Race 5 and Alwaysinahurry ($24.40) in Race 9 … Amateur jockey Jeremy Castro guided Beyond the Pale ($76.20) to a 35-1 upset of Race 4 Sunday to register his first career riding victory. The 5-year-old Maryland-bred gelding trained by Danielle Hodson was making his first career start in the 1 1/16-mile maiden claimer for amateur riders, winning in 1:48.23 over a firm turf course … Live racing returns to Pimlico Friday, Sept. 23 to kick off closing weekend of the nine day fall meet. Post time for the first of 10 races is 12:40 p.m.