The Finallymadeit Stakes was worth only $55,000, but after winning the race named for his favorite horse, trainer Javier Negrete was feeling like a million bucks Sunday at Calder Casino & Race Course.
Negrete was the trainer of Finallymadeit, the gutsy, front-running Florida-bred who earned $1.03 million before breaking a cannon bone and being euthanized. Finallymadeit, a son of Ocala Stud Farm stallion Concerto who became a fan favorite at Calder, was injured while preparing to run in the Whitney Handicap (G1) at Saratoga last August.
On Sunday, Florida-bred Wingedlie picked a most meaningful spot for his first stakes victory, winning the inaugural running of the Finallymadeit by 1 ¼ lengths for Negrete, his trainer and owner.
“I really wanted to win this race, not for the money but because of what he meant to me,” Negrete said of Finallymadeit. “It just feels awesome. I have no words to describe it. That horse made my name, my career. He was the one who made the trainer. What can I say? I’m very happy.”
Like Finallymadeit, Wingedlie was bred by Rolando Rodriguez at Eclipse Farm in Ocala. The son of Winged Foot Willie had made a living running on wet tracks, with four wins in 10 such starts heading into the Finallymadeit. On a track made sloppy by rain Sunday, Wingedlie seemed right at home.
With jockey Luis Jurado aboard for the first time, Wingedlie ran in third place early in the race as Florida-breds Cinnamon Road and Barry’s Money battled for the early lead, carving out fractions of 23.59 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 48.08 seconds for a half-mile. As the pacesetters tired, Wingedlie rallied three-wide around the far turn to gain a half-length lead at the top of the lane and drew clear down the stretch, stopping the clock for the one mile and 70 yards in 1:45.18.
“The race went as I expected,” Negrete said. “I thought those two horses were going to fight on the lead, and by the half-mile, when I saw that they were still going head-to-head, I knew they were mine. I was third at that point, and he was going at his own pace. I knew I had a good chance. He finished up as expected because the stretch is when he starts moving faster.”
Wingedlie returned $15.60, $5.40 and $3 as the fourth choice in a field of five 3-year-olds and up. Florida-bred Dream Maestro rallied to be second, 2 ½ lengths ahead of the favored Cinnamon Road, and paid $3.40 and $2.10. The show price on Cinnamon Road was $2.10. Barry’s Money and Florida-bred Imawildandcrazyguy completed the order of finish.
Wingedlie came into the Finallymade it off a win in a $16,000 starter allowance going 1 1⁄16 miles on grass at Calder in May. The 4-year-old colt was 0-for-4 in stakes races prior to Sunday’s race, though he was the runner-up to Arson Squad in the Skip Away Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park in April.
Wingedlie has won seven of his 23 starts for $159,836, with five of those wins coming in the slop.
“I was hoping for rain,” Negrete said. “He’s a monster in the slop. He loves the slop, so when I saw it was raining, I said, ‘This is my time.’”
Negrete said he hasn’t picked out a race for Wingedlie’s next start.
Like Finallymadeit, runner-up Dream Maestro is a son of Concerto. Bred by William Lussky, the 5-year-old gelding has won three of his 32 starts for $419,850. He’s trained by Bill Kaplan for Ione and Herbert Elkins.
Cinnamon Road, a son of Delaware Township bred by Steve Tucker and Lynne Boutte, entered the race off a third-place finish behind Mambo Meister in the Memorial Day Handicap (G3) at Calder. He’s won eight of his 28 starts for $204,057.
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– Photo of Florida-bred Wingedlie by Jim Lisa
