Favored
Summer Applause grabbed the lead in midstretch and held on for a 2 ¾-length victory over Twice the Lady in Saturday’s 73rd running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Top Flight Handicap
at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Ridden by Hall of Fame
jockey John Velazquez in her first start for trainer Chad Brown, Summer
Applause settled in third as long shot Natalie Victoria, who was tracked
by Sisterly Love, took the field of seven
fillies and mares through an opening quarter-mile in 23.52 seconds and a
half in 47.05. As Natalie Victoria weakened, Summer Applause moved up
three-wide to confront Sisterly Love on the far turn, taking command in
midstretch and going on to cross the wire
in 1:44.10 for the 1 1/16 miles.
“When the two horses
[Natalie Victoria and Withgreatpleasure] didn’t break, I tried to just
come out and get a nice position going into the first turn,” said
Velazquez, who with the win began the day’s 11-race
card 3-for-3. “At the 3 ½, I let her go. I watched the races, and it
seemed like if she is close to the pace she finishes better. Last time I
didn’t ride her, but she was too far back and didn’t really put in any
effort. Today, she’s where she wanted to be.”
The victory was the first for the 4-year-old Harlan’s
Holiday filly since she took the Grade
3 Rachel Alexandra at the Fair Grounds a year ago. Following that, she
was second and fourth to Believe You Can in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds
Oaks and the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, respectively,
before undergoing surgery for a chipped knee. She returned to finish
sixth, beaten 15 lengths in the Houston Ladies Classic in January, after
which she was transferred to Brown in
Florida.
“She shipped in [to
New York], she’s had no
problems with the weather or the climate change and she’s been training
well the two days she’s been here,” said Brown’s assistant, Cherie
DeVaux of Summer Applause, who carries the colors
of Gillian S. Campbell, Greenwood Lodge Farm, Dan Clark and Greg Skoda.
“She looks great and they did a really good job with her in
Florida getting her ready to come up here for today.”
Sent off at 6-5, Summer
Applause returned $4.60 for a $2 win bet and earned $120,000. Overall,
she is 4-2-0 from nine starts with earnings of $473,040.
Twice the Lady was a neck in front of third-place New York-bred
Sunny
Desert, whose six-race win streak came to an
end. Lady Gracenote, Sisterly Love, Withgreatpleasure and Natalie
Victoria completed the order of finish. Royal Lahaina was scratched.