Laity Holds off Longshots to Win John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park -Triple Crown Nominees Absent
by Kenneth Stong; Ultimatecapper.com Head Horse Handicapper
Laity came up with a gutsy stretch performance in the mile and a sixteenth $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park on Saturday to hold off longshot Pair Of Kings among others to set up a Trifecta of $8880.60 and a Superfecta of $78,065.40.
Ridden by Corey Lanerie, the 3-year-old colt by Pulpit-Tour by Forty Niner forced the pace from the inside through fractions of 23.75, 47.68, 1:12.52 and 1:39.84 before digging in to edge away slowly in a long sustained drive, finally stopping the timer over a fast track in 1:46.88.
Trained by Frank Brothers for Claiborne Farm, Laity was coming into the race off a four-month layoff and had every chance to give it up during a five horse stretch battle. He wouldn’t quit however, and after shaking off the surprisingly game fellow pacesetter and 66-1 shot New Awakening he found more to hold on for the win. At the wire it was Laity by half a length over the 33-1 Pair Of Kings, who rallied to best New Awakening by half a length. Malameeze rallied and hung to finish fourth at 11-1, a neck back of New Awakening, setting up the huge Superfecta payoff.
The winner paid $15.80, $9.20, $6.40 and topped a $352.20 exacta.
Favored 2-1 California shipper and Triple Crown nominee Kilimanjaro was in good position outside throughout, but failed to fire when it counted, ending up seventh. Kilimanjaro wasn’t the only Triple Crown hopeful among the favorites to finish up the track. Aqueduct shipper Trailing Twelve finished ninth at 7/2 and Florida shipper Go Bucky Go finished eleventh, also at 7/2.
Laity had shown promise last year when winning the Cradle Stakes at River Downs by 11 ¾ lengths, but had then tailed off to finish out of the money in both the Breeders’ Furturity-G1 at Keeneland and the Iroquois Stakes-G3 at Churchill Downs. The layoff must have been just what he needed.
The John Battaglia Memorial was the second career stakes victory for Laity, who increased his lifetime earnings to $213,200 from a career record of 3-0-0 in six starts. The John Battaglia Memorial is the final local prep for the $500,000 Lane’s End Stakes-G2 on March 25, which is expected to attract some of the top three year olds in the country. Can Laity handle the class raise?
