Richard Santulli’s Stormy Dixie pushed past pacesetter Marquet Madness to
post a neck win in the $60,000 Politely Stakes, stepping the mile and a sixteenth
over firm turf in 1:39.74, a new course record.
Trained by Alan Goldberg, Stormy Dixie returned $12, $6.80 and 4.60
across the board. Nefertiti rallied to
complete the $271.40 exacta and paid $19.40 and $12.40. Marquet Madness, who set quick early fractions,
was nearly a length back in third, good for an $11.60 show mutuel.
“They outran us pretty quickly and I just wanted to take a hold of her
and save as much ground as possible,” said winning jockey Chuck C. Lopez. “In the stretch, I knew I was going to catch
them, I just didn’t want to run out of racetrack.”
The Politely win was the second this season and fourth lifetime for
Stormy Dixie, a 5-year-old mare by Stormy Atlantic from the Wild Event mare
Dixieland Event. She has now earned
$197,540 for her connections.
The previous course record for a mile and a sixteenth at Monmouth with
the portable rail set out 36 feet was established by My Princess Jess on June
28, 2008, when that 3-year-old filly went 1:39.81.