It was a bear-filled week in the stock market, but Stetson
Stables’ Wall Street Wonder sounded a bullish note by capturing the 102nd
running of the $65,000 Paumonok Saturday afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Breaking from post position No. 2 beneath jockey Channing
Hill, Wall Street Wonder outsprinted odds-on favorite Driven by Success to the
lead, setting quick early fractions of 22.72 and 45.44 seconds.
Around the far turn, Driven by Success began to drop back
and Wall Street Wonder opened up a clear lead on the field. With only
minor encouragement through the stretch, the 4-year-old son of City
Place cruised to an
8½-length win.
The final time for the six furlongs was 1:09.40, making the
Paumonok the fastest race at that distance since racing began on the inner
track on December 2.
“The way he jumped out of the gate, it looked like he took
the lead very easily,” trainer John Terranova said by phone from Florida.
“We knew the horse was up to running against these types of horses today, but
he kind of blew our minds.”
It was the second consecutive inner track win for Wall
Street Wonder since joining Terranova’s barn after having been trained by Bob
Baffert and campaigning primarily on turf.
“He’s a really nice horse, and I think getting on the dirt
has really helped him,” Hill said. “I knew as soon as we had Driven by Success
outrun that my horse was going to be real tough to beat.”
Despite some traffic trouble at the break, Mt.
Glittermore
finished second, a length in front of longshot Shoptate in third. Driven
by Success, sent off at odds of 3-4, finished fifth in the six-horse field.
“His style is to be in front by himself,” said Mike Luzzi,
aboard the beaten favorite. “But the other horse [Wall Street Wonder]
outran him to the lead.”
The Paumonok was Wall Street Wonder’s first career stakes
win. With the victory, he increased his lifetime record to 3-1-4 from 12
career starts and upped his earnings to $156,341.
Sent off as the 2.65-1 second choice in the wagering, Wall
Street Wonder paid $7.30 for a $2 win bet.
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