Elusive Gift Easily Captures Punch Line
Elusive Gift brightened a rainy day for many as he rolled to a 4 ¼ length win as the heavy favorite in the $50,000 Punch Line Stakes for Virginia-bred three year olds and up on Saturday at Colonial Downs.
Under a pace of 22.00 and 44.64, Elusive Gift and jockey Horacio Karamanos applied pressure to frontrunner Rock to Bop two-wide down the backstretch before taking the lead nearing the three-eighths pole and running to a clear lead under a hand ride through the stretch. A Reel Buster finished strongly to place after racing unhurried early, while That’sthequestion rallied through the upper stretch to flatten in the final sixteenths. The final time for the five furlong turf race was 56.74, just short of the track record of 56.02 set by Smart Sunny.
Bred in Virginia and owned by Edward P. Evans, Elusive Gift is a five year old by Elusive Quality out of a Green Desert mare. The Anthony Dutrow-trained gelding has won or finished second in eight of twelve starts, earning a bankroll of over $150,000. The win was Elusive Gift’s second in as many tries at the New Kent oval.
Rounding out the field were pacesetter Rock to Bop, who vied inside the winner to the five-sixteenths pole before tiring to fourth, Jake Rattle N Roll, and Major Bob. The win was Horacio Karamanos’ fourth of the day, having swept races four, five, and six earlier on the card.
Nine races are scheduled for Sunday, July 11th at Colonial Downs, with a first-race post time of 12:55 PM.