Trainer Tony Dutrow
stood in the winner’s circle opening day after the first stakes race of
the 2012 Saratoga Race Course meet, accepting the trophy for the Grade 3
Schuylerville won by a promising 2-year-old filly named So Many Ways.
With summer fading, and just one day left before the seven-week Spa
show comes to an end, Dutrow and So Many Ways returned for an encore Sunday,
this time after securing an even more prestigious prize – the 121st
running of the Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway.
Stalking a rapid pace set by the dueling odds-on favorite Teen Pauline
and 13-1 shot Corail, So Many Ways advanced when called upon by jockey Javier Castellano
and went on to win by 2 ½ lengths.
Long shot Sweet Shirley Mae, 22-1, made a long drive under jockey Kent
Desormeaux from the three-eighths pole to take second from Teen Pauline, who faded
to third. Seasoned Warrior and Corail completed the field.
Baby J and Dreaming of Julia were scratched.
So Many Ways, a daughter of freshman sire Sightseeing, ran the seven
furlongs in 1:23.74. As the 4-1 third choice, she paid $9.80 for a $2 win bet.
“This filly came to Saratoga an infant and just as the weeks went
by you could see her turning, putting on weight, growing, maturing,” said
Dutrow, who won last year’s Spinaway with Grace Hall. “I
didn’t know where we would finish today, but I was thinking we’d
run better than we did in the Schuylerville.”
Owned by Maggi Moss, So Many Ways may have entered the Spinaway as the
most accomplished filly, with a stakes win already under her belt, but not
necessarily the fastest. Teen Pauline had set a track record in her debut July
25, running five furlongs in 56.53 seconds.
In the Spinaway, Teen Pauline had to prove she could stretch her speed
to seven furlongs, while So Many Ways had to prove that her professionalism
matched her opponent’s raw talent.
When the gate opened, Seasoned Warrior broke on top but quickly fell
back as Teen Pauline cut through an opening quarter-mile in 22.29 seconds and a
half in 45.13, all the while hounded by Corail.
At the five-sixteenths pole, So Many Ways, always within three lengths,
reached Teen Pauline as Corail fell away and the two briefly dueled before the
winner asserted herself and pulled away.
“I had a beautiful trip,” Castellano said.
“She’s pretty quick out of the gate and she settled beautiful
behind the two horses. Those two pace-makers, they helped to set up my race.
But I think if it wasn’t that way, no matter what, she was going to be in
the bridle today, and she was going to be close to the pace and give me the
kick the way she did.”
Dutrow said he had no immediate plans for So Many Ways, who is
undefeated in three starts and increased her earnings to $307,800, but he
reveled in the moment.
“I’m not surprised, but I sure am happy,” he said.
“She came out of there with running on her mind. We’ve won [the
Spinaway] two years in a row now, and I can’t believe where I’m
standing.”