Can’t Stop Maria from Charging to Victory
Much like Ben’s Cat proved one race earlier, the cream shall rise to the top. In today’s Allaire Dupont Distaff at Pimlico Race Course, the cream of the race going in was most certainly the five-time graded stakes winner, Stopchargingmaria. Sure enough, she would not disappoint. Sent off as the heavy favorite in her second start of the year, the four-year-old daughter of Tale of the Cat earned her 7th victory in 13 starts with an easy score in the Grade 3 affair on Black-Eyed Susan Day.
After a less than perfect break from the gate, Stopchargingmaria was a little farther back early than is her norm, no doubt giving her many supporters a spot of bother, but the early fractions being set by Yahilwa and longshot Brenda’s Way was swift.
As the leading pair carved out a solid pace of :23.22, :45.53 and 1:11.25 for the first three-quarters, Stopchargingmaria and her Hall of Fame pilot, John Velazquez, moved from sixth to fifth to fourth on the far turn. Racing in the middle of horses, the heavy favorite loomed big as the large field of 11 came to the homestretch.
Quickly taking over early in the lane, Stopchargingmaria methodically increased her lead to the wire, getting there a full four-lengths clear of her nearest competition. It was the third victory of the day for the winning rider.
“I wasn’t exactly where I wanted to be,” said Velazquez. “She stumbled a bit coming out of there. Once we cleared everyone, it was pretty easy.”
Early leader, and second choice on the board, Yahilwa gamely held on to the place, besting Joint Return and Blue Violet in a three-horse photo for second.
The winner of back-to-back Grade 1’s last summer at Saratoga, in the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama, Stopchargingmaria raised her lifetime earnings to $1,654,000. As the 3-5 favorite, she returned $3.20 for a $2 win bet, as she collected her sixth graded stakes victory. Final time for the nine furlongs over the fast main track at Pimlico was 1:50.32.
With the victory, Stopchargingmaria raised her record to a perfect 2-for-2 at Pimlico. It was on this same Friday last year, that she scored her initial graded stakes victory of 2014, with a hard-fought victory in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan. The victorious trainer liked how the consistent filly came to Baltimore this time around.
“She had a really good work last week at Belmont for this race,” said Pletcher. “It was as good as I had ever seen her. She got away bad and I was a little worried, but when I saw the fast fractions, I figured we would be OK. I’m not sure what’s next. As much as the trio of owner, Mike Repole, trainer, Todd Pletcher, and horse, Stopchargingmaria love Saratoga, all indications would point towards another big summer for the dark bay filly.