At Colonial Downs on Saturday, two 4-year-olds offered impressive efforts in the $100,000 Reigh Count and the $100,000 Love Sign. In the open company, sibling dirt sprint stakes, the 2024 Illinois Derby winner Patriot Spirit proved much the best over seven rivals in the Reigh Count, while Alani took to the front early against six fillies and fought off all challenges, to make the Love Sign her first stakes score.
Owned by Mellon Patch, Patriot Spirit is trained by Mike Campbell. With jockey Mychal Sanchez aboard, the colt covered seven furlongs over a fast track in 1:21.01 to take the Reigh Count by four lengths.
“I’ve been working him in the mornings, and he did better than what I expected from him,” Sanchez said. “I think he stepped forward today. He put away those horses like nothing. I was going to try to set up behind the leaders, but he was so much the best today that he went to the lead, ran huge down the stretch, and had so much left past the wire.”
After establishing himself in second and to the outside of Celtic Contender through the first call of :22.67, Patriot Spirit moved to take the lead early in the turn. Hand-ridden down the stretch, Patriot Spirit ran away from the field, while Inveigled put in a nice late run to grab second from Celtic Contender.
Bet down to 4-5, Patriot Spirit returned $3.60, $2.60, and $2.20. Inveigled paid $4.00 and $3.20. Celtic Contender returned $3.40.
Bred in Kentucky by Blue Heaven Farm, the 4-year-old colt by Constitution out of the Game Plan mare Mistical Plan now has a career record of 14-5-2-1 with $421,210 lifetime earnings.
In the Love Sign, Hardesty Stables and Michael Day’s Alani travelled six furlongs on a track labeled fast in 1:09.25, earning her first stakes win by 1¾ lengths over Happy Clouds.
Trained by Michael Moore, Alani didn’t break on top but was soon put to the lead by jockey Andy Hernandez. Taking outside pressure from Top Gun Rocket until the top of the stretch, Alani battled gamely to put away that foe. Down the stretch, Alani had plenty left in the tank to hold off the late challenges of runner-up Happy Cloud and Admiral Hopper, who finished third.
“She is a classy filly,” Hernandez said. “She can run on the lead and behind horses. Today she broke sharp, near the lead, and I put her into the race. She finished very strong.”
Sent off as the 2-1 second choice, Alani paid $6.20, $4.40, and $3.20. Happy Clouds returned $12.00 and $5.80. Admiral Hopper paid $5.20.
“We thought we fit pretty well,” Moore said. “We came here to Colonial this spring and she was second. We thought she was pretty dull. We shipped in the day before and it seemed to do her good to let her relax overnight and get ready for the race today. She definitely ran better today than she did last time. She’s a nice filly – we’ll continue to find spots where she fits well going forward.”
Bred in Kentucky by Dr. Patricia Ziefle, the 4-year-old daughter of Competitive Edge out of the Sefapiano mare Tri Delt Girl now boasts a career record of 14-5-6-1 with $280,995 in earnings.
Live Racing resumes on Wednesday with a first post of 12:30 p.m. ET. The 4-day race week concludes on Saturday with both the $100,000 Hickory Tree and the $100,000 Keswick, a pair of sibling stakes for Virginia-restricted 2-year-olds going 5½ furlongs on the dirt.
About Colonial Downs
Colonial Downs Racetrack, in New Kent, Virginia, hosts live thoroughbred racing on two nationally renowned surfaces – the Secretariat Turf Course, the widest turf course in North America at 180 feet wide and on a 1 1/4-mile dirt track. The Colonial Downs Group, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums® throughout the commonwealth, which offer innovative historic horseracing (HHR) gaming and full card simulcasting as well as Rosie’s Game Room in Collinsville, and The Rose Gaming Resort® in Dumfries which offers 1,650 HHR gaming terminals, full-card simulcasti
