Front-running Alwaysmining wins second stakes in Laurel's Heft

Runnymede Racing’s Alwaysmining, three weeks removed from his first career stakes win, overcame an inside post and a game favorite to his inside to register a gutsy 1 ½-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Heft Stakes. 

The Heft for 2-year-olds and the $100,000 Gin Talking for 2-year-old fillies, both at seven furlongs, were among six stakes worth $550,000 in purses on a 10-race Christmastide Day program.

With jockey Daniel Centeno in from Florida to ride for trainer Kelly Rubley, Alwaysmining ($7.20) completed the distance in 1:22.60 over a main track rated good. Win Win Win, unbeaten in two previous starts and sent off as the even-money favorite, was second, six lengths ahead of Clench in third.

Laurel Futurity winner Order and Law and Press Virginia, a winner of his first two races, completed the order of finish. Zulu Legend and Be Lal were scratched.

It was the third straight win, all in front-running fashion, for Alwaysmining, a gelded son of multiple Grade 1 winner Stay Thirsty that had won one of his first five starts for previous trainers Laura Wohlers and Edward Graham. Alwaysmining improved to four-for-five lifetime at Laurel.

“We weren’t thrilled with getting the one-hole by any means, so our game plan was to see if we couldn’t make the lead. The horse seems to relax well on the lead and it certainly worked out well for us today,” Rubley said. “There was a very nice horse on the inside of him and I was very glad to hear Danny say that he felt he had enough horse that that wasn’t as much of a concern as we all thought in the stands. We’re very proud of him.”

Alwaysmining was quickest from the gate and set fractions of 22.72 and 46.10 seconds pressed by Clench and Win Win Win. Alwaysmining rounded the far turn in front but wide enough to allow Win Win Win room along the rail, and the two dueled past the eighth pole before the winner edged clear.

“I was a little worried this morning when my flight was delayed but we got lucky and thank God we made it. As soon as I got off the plane I was talking to Kelly and we were talking about the plan,” Centeno said. “My thought was we were going to come out of there running today and if they let me go to the lead, it’s over. If somebody goes with me I’ll just let them go and try to put my horse in the clear. He made an easy lead and fought all the way to the wire.”

Rubley plans to go race-by-race with Alwaysmining but will be looking to stretch him out in 2019. He won the Maryland Juvenile Futurity, also at seven furlongs, Dec. 8 and captured an optional claimer going one mile Oct. 27.

“We’ll see how he looks tomorrow and kind of talk about it and make a plan. This was a quick turnaround for him, so we’ll see,” she said. “We’re hopeful, but we’ll play it by ear and see how he does.”