As the trainer of four of the eight horses entered in the $250,000 Spinaway Stakes, Todd Pletcher had a good chance of getting his picture taken following the race. But with her four-length victory in the Grade 1 test Sunday at Saratoga, Florida-bred R Heat Lightning left little doubt as to which member of that quartet has the most talent.
R Heat Lightning, a daughter of Trippi and a homebred for E. Paul Robsham Stables, rallied from last place in the field of juvenile fillies to win going away.
With Garrett Gomez aboard for the first time, the filly was in eighth place as Pletcher’s Sky Hosoya led the field through a quarter-mile in 21.89 seconds. As Sky Hosoya tired, Alienation inherited the lead through a half-mile in 44.74 seconds, and R Heat Lightning advanced to fifth place.
R Heat Lightning circled the field four-wide around the turn and began picking off rivals. She moved up to second place at the head of the lane and wrested the lead from Alienation near the sixteenth pole before drawing clear under strong handling. R Heat Lightning stopped the clock for seven furlongs on a fast track in 1:25.23.
“I was trying to keep her relaxed,” Gomez said. “Turning for home, I was a little concerned. My filly was doing more than I wanted her to do. But just as I came off the turn, (Alienation) came back to us, and my filly went on.”
R Heat Lightning returned $10.40, $5.20 and $3.80 as the third choice. Alienation paid $5.40 and $4.30 after finishing 2 ½ lengths clear of Pletcher’s Valiant Passion, who paid $3 to show. Valiant Passion was favored after winning a $50,000 maiden special weight race by 9 ¼ lengths at Saratoga on Aug. 12.
Completing the Spinaway’s order of finish were Coax Liberty, Le Mi Geaux, the Pletcher-trained Florida-bred Stopspendingmaria, Abide and Sky Hosoya.
R Heat Lightning had a pair of sharp breezes at Saratoga last month, handily covering a half-mile in 47 2/5 seconds Aug. 24 and five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 on Aug. 30.
“R Heat Lightning had been training very well in her last couple of breezes and got a good, favorable outside post,” Pletcher said. “I was trying to get her to settle a little bit and make a run, and I thought it was a big performance.”
R Heat Lightning romped to a five-length score in her career debut, a $38,000 maiden special weight race at Delaware Park in July. She then stepped up to stakes company for the $94,000 Colleen at Monmouth Park on Aug. 7 and rallied strongly to finish second, a length behind Twelve Pack Shelly, in that 5 ½-furlong test. She’s earned $192,800 from three starts.
“I think to anybody who had seen her first two races, particularly the Colleen, where she continued to close and close and close, it looked like more ground was going to help her, so it wasn’t a surprise to any of us,” Pletcher said of her success in the Spinaway.
Pletcher said R Heat Lightning likely will be pointed toward the $300,000 Frizette Stakes (G1), a one-mile test for 2-year-old fillies at Belmont Park on Oct. 9.
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Photo by Coglianese
