SHAKOPEE, MN – The fields for the first stakes of the season were short but the fillies, specially, were fast Saturday at Canterbury Park.
In the $50,000 L’Etoile du Nord Stakes, Escape Clause broke alertly from post five but Orlando Mojica aboard Fight to Glory settled on her flank through the first quarter mile of the six furlong race. When he asked her to take the lead, she did and held sway through he wire.
“I just got position, tapped her a couple of times and looked back,” said Mojica. “We were two, three and four in front so I put away the stick and rode her home. When you have a filly like this, you can ride the race comfortably.”
Fight to Glory covered the six furlongs in 1:09.46, the fastest six furlong race in Shakopee since 2016. Hotshot Anna closed hard late but could not get to the winner, finishing 4 lengths back.
Fight to Glory returned $5 to win.
The $50,000 was even more decimated to defections, going postward with three entries. Nine year old speedster, World Famous Sam T, went to the lead as expected and tried to play a little ‘catch me if you can’. The strategy worked for a half mile when favored Bourbon Cowboy stuck a head in front trying to give Mojica a sweep of the day’s stakes. Jareth Loveberry, aboard Malibu Max, did not want to let that happen.
“I tried to keep him relatively close,” said Loveberry. “I didn’t want the speed to get away from me.”
Loveberry and Max made a strong move into the lane to take command and draw off to win by 2 lengths in 1:10.28, paying $3.80.
