There was a captivating weekend of racing action in the United States, with a number of Grade 3 contests taking place. Fans also saw some of the leading three-year-olds in training compete in the Pegasus Stakes on Sunday. Below, we will go through the results from this past weekend.
The Chosen Vron Wins Affirmed Stakes
The Chosen Vron returned to the track on Sunday at Santa Anita, as the three-year-old continued his excellent form for trainer J Eric Kruljac. Many expected The Chosen Vron to have too much class for the field in this race on Sunday, and that’s precisely how it worked out. He traveled strongly throughout the contest and eventually won by a length and a quarter.
The three-year-old won in a time of 1:44.01 in the race, and winning connections won prize money in the region of $60,000. Defunded was the closest horse to the winner, but in truth, he never looked likely of beating the hot favorite. Classier for Bob Baffert was a distant third, as he was eleven lengths behind the runner-up.
Mandaloun Comes Out On Top In Pegasus Stakes
Mandaloun was back on track for the first time since the Kentucky Derby on Sunday, as he outlasted Weyburn to win the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park. The three-year-old for trainer Brad Cox could yet be awarded the Kentucky Derby, depending on the response by organizers after Medina Spirit’s second positive test was confirmed last week.
Mandaloun traveled efficiently throughout the contest and won by a neck in a time of 1:44.63. The first three home were well clear of the chasing pack, with Dr Jack finishing in third, 15 and a half lengths ahead of fourth. Despite not being a graded race, the prize purse in this race was the biggest of the day. Winning connections of Mandaloun picked up winnings of $90,000.
Mintd Wins Mint Julep
There was a shock winner in the G3 Mint Julep on Saturday afternoon, as Mintd shocked the favorite to win in a time of 1:43.92. She was excellent throughout the race and traveled better than her main rival in a final couple of furlongs. She was able to finish strongly to win by half a length. Mintd’s win was the first Graded race that she had recorded a victory in.
The winning connections of the horse received $90,210 in prize money following the victory. Juliet Foxtrot was unable to record another victory, as she finished in second. It had looked as though she was going to get the victory, but Mintd pounced into the lead in the closing stages. She’sonthewarpath finished in third.
Informative Claims Grade 3 At Monmouth Park
The only other Graded race this weekend took place at Monmouth Park and was the G3 Salvator Mile. The race was won by Informative, as the four-year-old colt finished a length clear of the field to win in a time of 1:37.01. It was a shocking result, as the Uriah St Lewis-trained horse was set off at a price of 79/1.
Prior to his run at Monmouth Park this past weekend, he had won on just one occasion in 12 runs. This Graded victory was an excellent sign that brighter things could be on the horizon for the talented colt. NY Traffic was back in second, while Galerio finished in third at Monmouth Park. Winning connections claimed $90,000 in winnings for the victory. Pirate’s Punch and Basin were both well beaten in this contest.
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