Lexington, KY — Trainer Brett Pelling denied a pair of favorites with Rocket Deo and Disney to cash the lion’s share of the total $170,000 purse in the Papi Rob Hanover Bluegrass Stakes, for 3-year-old pacing fillies, on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 28) at The Red Mile.
Rocket Deo ditched cover from 1-9 favorite My Girl EJ in the stretch and surged to a 1:51.4 victory in the faster split of the Papi Rob Hanover.
Driver Andy McCarthy sent Rocket Deo out of post eight and found a slot behind My Girl EJ (Dexter Dunn) to race fourth. Asweetbeachhere (Yannick Gingras) brushed by early leader Miraculous Deo (Todd McCarthy) to click by the first quarter in :27.4 and maintained her speed up the backside to clock a :55.2 half.
As the leader started to slow around the final turn, My Girl EJ launched into action with Rocket Deo following the tow, and the outer tier swiftly reached the front spinning off three-quarters in 1:23.3. My Girl EJ grabbed the lead in the stretch but stalled while Rocket Deo veered outside and confronted the odds-on choice in deep stretch. Rocket Deo zipped by an even My Girl EJ with ease and pulled away to a length victory with Beautiful Roz (Scott Zeron) closing for third.
“She was our number one pick when we bought her (at the yearling sale),” said Brian Gordon, co-owner of Rocket Deo through Morrison Racing Stables. “Matt Morrison and I went there specifically to buy her that year. We got her, we watched her grow up; we have horses at Deo Volente, so we actually saw the day she was born. (At 2), she was a little off, a little sick. Brett (Pelling) took his time with her (and we) said, ‘You’re in charge, Brett,’ and he was very high on her all along. He thought exactly what she’s done this year would happen, and we’ve been thrilled so far.”
A filly by Captaintreacherous out of stakes-winning mare Rocklamation, Rocket Deo notched her 10th win from 17 career starts and has now earned $383,451 for owners Morrison Racing Stables and John Fielding. She paid $11.58 to win.
Regally bred Disney (Todd McCarthy) mounted a grueling pocket-popping bid in the stretch and survived flanking pressure to land a narrow win and a 17-1 upset in the first division of the Papi Rob Hanover Bluegrass.
Leaving from the pylon post, McCarthy secured a pocket ride for Disney as Donegal Spirit (Dexter Dunn) swooped down from post six to commandeer the pack before a :28.4 first quarter. McCarthy kept Disney focused from the trail seat to a :56.3 half and started floating off the pegs once Sweet Gal (Andy McCarthy), the 9-5 favorite, committed to move out of third.
Disney drew to terms with Donegal Spirit by three-quarters in 1:25 and remained hooked in a toe-to-tail battle all through the stretch while Sweet Gal marched nearer to the outside. Disney forged to a narrow lead within the final eighth and kept fighting through the unrelenting challenges to hold a head in front of Donegal Spirit at the finish of a 1:52.2 mile. Sweet Gal settled for third.
“We’ve liked her right from day one,” trainer Pelling said of Disney, a foal from double-millionaire Pure Country. “We had a couple of mishaps; she’s got a couple of little screws in her. But we’ve always thought she’s had a lot of talent. Just going by her breeding and stuff, we always had to give her a chance.”
Disney, finishing no worse than second from nine starts, bagged her fifth win and added to her account now worth $92,500 for owner Diamond Creek Racing. The filly by Always B Miki paid $36.88 to win.
Each division of the Papi Rob Hanover Bluegrass Stakes was sponsored by the Papi Rob Hanover Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms.