Wallyanna Stuns Bobby's Kitten in Hall of Fame
Looking at the tote board didn't sway the confidence trainer Michael Pino had in Wallyanna for Friday's Grade 2, $200,000 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
The 3-year-old Langfuhr colt rewarded Pino's faith by rallying with a sustained run down the middle of the stretch to catch favored Bobby's Kitten and win the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds by a length.
Sent off as the longest shot in a field of six at odds of 23-1, Wallyanna hit the wire in 1:40.66 and paid $49.20 on a $2 win bet. Bobby's Kitten held on for second, a neck ahead of Give No Quarter. Long On Value, Bashart and So Lonesome completed the order of finish.
The Hall of Fame marked the second career stakes victory for Wallyanna and the first in a graded event, and was the first victory of any kind at Saratoga for the Delaware Park-based Pino.
"He was long odds, and I don't like to run long-odds horses," Pino said. "But, I just felt like he deserved a shot and we'd step up and see what happens, and it worked out."
Grade 3 winner Bobby's Kitten broke well from the far outside post and went straight for the front under jockey Javier Castellano, leading through a quarter-mile in 24 seconds, a half in 46.77 and six furlongs in 1:10.34 under pressure from So Lonesome.
Bobby's Kitten maintained his advantage turning for home as So Lonesome began to drop back and Wallyanna, conserved early by jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., came around horses to launch his bid. Trailing by a half-length at the top of the stretch, Wallyanna gradually reeled in Bobby's Kitten before pulling clear approaching the wire.
"At the quarter pole he looked like he had horse," Pino said. "When he got through and kept on running, I felt pretty confident. I just told [Ortiz], 'If you just sit on him, he'll do what you want. When you call on him, he'll do what you want.' That's exactly how it worked out."
The win was the third on the card for Ortiz, who rode Wallyanna for the first time.
"My trip was perfect. My horse broke good and I tried to save ground and ride him like the trainer told me," Ortiz said. "I just broke out of there and gave the horse a chance. You never know if you can catch a horse like [Bobby's Kitten]; he's a good horse."
Castellano had been aboard Wallyanna for the colt's previous stakes triumph, a 4 ¾-length score in the James Murphy at Pimlico on the undercard of the Preakness on May 17. He has ridden Bobby's Kitten since last fall, including wins in the Grade 3 Pilgrim and $500,000 Penn Mile.
"You see the replay and the horse broke out of the gate on the lead. I'm not going to take it away when he can seize it," Castellano said. "He ran a good race, no question about it. He's an honest horse; he always shows up. Unfortunately, today he didn't show up the last part."
Claimed out of a maiden victory at Gulfstream Park on March 16, Wallyanna now has three wins in four starts for Pino, two of them in stakes. The $120,000 winner's share of the purse more than doubled his career bankroll to $222,748.
"In the morning this horse has really matured in his training," Pino said. "He's really push-button. He was a little rank the first couple of starts we had him, but now he's starting to relax. We're going to see how he comes out of it and just kind of play it by ear and see what's available out there for him. It'd be nice to keep him around here."