By Bill Finley
Wonder Ride (Gun Runner) is by one of the best sires in the sport and comes from a winning barn in the Kenny McPeek stable. But Saratoga bettors overlooked her in Sunday's first race, a seven-furlong dirt maiden for 2-year-old fillies. She was sent off at 10-1.
You probably won't get 10-1 again on her anytime soon. Ridden by Julien Leparoux, Wonder Ride was never far back, but the jockey remained patient. She got rolling near the top of the stretch, split horses and then took over in the final yards to win by a half-length over race favorite Stellamaris (Catalina Cruiser). She covered the distance in 1:24.60.
“We weren't surprised at all,” McPeek said. “She's done everything from the beginning really well.”
That Wonder Ride was able to sit behind horses and allow her jockey to be patient was exactly what McPeek was expecting.
“We want them to sit behind horses and learn to relax,” he said. “I think Julien had the chance to take the bait and send her up in there but he stayed steady and relaxed. That's my typical instructions to my riders. Be patient with young horses and teach them to finish. She's learned her lessons and she's fast and smart. I think she wants to go longer than this.”
Wonder Ride is owned by Scott Leeds's Walking L Thoroughbreds. Leeds is the co-breeder along with Fest Miles. Leeds owned and McPeek trained Wonder Ride's dam, Wonderment (Cosmonaut), the winner of the GIII Bourbonette Oaks.
“Scott has put a lot of heart, energy and money into this game and now he has this filly who has been training like a really good thing,” McPeek said. “I really need to get him a Grade I winner. Fingers crossed, maybe this one is the one. He puts a lot of energy into this game.”
Just a week earlier, Leeds sold Wonder Ride's full sister at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale for $650,000.
1st-Saratoga, $111,300, Msw, 8-13, 2yo, f, 7f, 1:24.60, ft, 1/2 length.
WONDER RIDE (f, 2, Gun Runner–Wonderment {GSW, $394,870}, by Cosmonaut) went off as the 10-1 shot in this debut and though she bobbled at the start, the first timer rated along the rail just off the speed up the backstretch. Rounding the far turn, the gray filly built a head of steam, was initially in tight at the eighth pole, but once she tipped to the outside, she ran on nicely to win by half a length over the favorite Stellamaris (Catalina Cruiser). The winner, whose yearling full-sister was bought for $650,000 by Barstool's Dave Portnoy at last week's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, is out of a GIII Bourbonette Oaks winning dam who visited Medaglia d'Oro for next year. Third dam SP Video Babe (T.V. Commercial), a half-sister to GII Forego H. hero Ziggy's Boy (Danzig), is responsible for MGISW Videogenic (Caucasus). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Walking L Thoroughbreds, LLC; B-Walking L Thoroughbreds LLC & Fest Miles (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek.
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