It certainly wasn't as easy as first time out, but heavily favored Ishaq overcame some tense moments to get the job done in his stakes debut here. The St George homebred was a 10 1/4-length debut romper going 5 1/2 furlongs here Nov. 28, garnering an 86 Beyer Speed Figure and 3-5 favoritism for this first attempt against winners. Hard ridden to make the early lead, the bay doled out fractions of :22.45 and :45.45 and seemed poised to score comfortably again. But the leader's blinkers appeared to come unfastened, and he got spooked and took several awkward steps in deep stretch. Formal Summation attempted to take advantage of Ishaq's missteps, but the chalk dug in to hold on by a neck.
“He completely lost momentum when the blinkers started flapping, and he veered out for two jumps,” jockey Pedro Cotto Jr. said. “But when he saw those other horses, he re-broke.” Trainer Efren Loza said that the Pasco S. Jan. 23 is a strong option for Ishaq's next race. “I think this is a horse that can go longer, so if the Pasco goes well, we'll see if he can go two turns,” Loza said.
Ishaq's winning dam Elusive Moment, a full-sister to champion and dual classic winner Smarty Jones, was purchased by St George Stables for $170,00 while in foal to City Zip at the 2011 KEENOV sale. Elusive Moment had a filly by Kitten's Joy in 2014 and a filly by Rule in 2015.
INAUGURAL S., $67,500, TAM, 12-19, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.04, ft.
1–#ISHAQ, 117, c, 2, Harlan's Holiday–Elusive Moment (Ire),
by Elusive Quality. O/B-St George Stables (KY); T-Efren Loza,
Jr.; J-Pedro L. Cotto, Jr.. $28,500. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0,
$39,900.
2–Formal Summation, 122, c, 2, In Summation–Formal Desire,
by Formal Dinner. ($15,000 Ylg '14 OBSWIN; $6,200 Ylg '14
OBSAUG). O-Tommy Roberts Racing Stable LLC; B-Lynne &
Chris Boutte (FL); T-Kathleen O'Connell. $20,000.
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3–Jay's Way, 118, c, 2, Gone Astray–Charms Way, by Salt Lake.
($35,000 Ylg '14 OBSWIN; $70,000 RNA Ylg '14 OBSAUG;
$50,000 2yo '15 OBSMAR). O-Midwest Thoroughbreds Inc.;
B-Jim Davis (FL); T-Jamie Ness. $10,000.
Margins: NK, 3/4, 2. Odds: 0.70, 8.20, 4.10.
Also Ran: Union Grace, Brerry, Peppi the Hunter, Royal Almighty, Transform, Li'l Meatball, Unbridled Trick, Little Awesome.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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