Colonial Downs To Host Pair of $150,000 Dirt Sprint Stakes Saturday August 5
Posted on August 7th, 2023
(NEW KENT, VA — 8/3/2023) —- Cash Is King and LC Racing’s Carmelina and Ray Pennington III’s King Kontie are respective early favorites in co-featured $150,000 dirt sprint stakes for Virginia-Restricted 2-year-old horses Saturday (August 5) at Colonial Downs. The former heads a field of 11 in the Keswick Stakes for fillies while the latter heads a field of eight in the Hickory Tree for males. The stakes will be contested consecutively as races 6 and 7 at the five-furlong distance.
Carmelina is a Robert Reid Jr. trainee who is fresh off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga July 13. The Maximus Mischief filly dominated though in her prior start, a maiden special weight at Parx June 18 which she won by 5-3/4 lengths. Carmelina, 5-2 early, will leave from post ten with Mychel Sanchez up.
Ultra Championship Racing’s Ran Out of Trainer is the second choice based off a July 6 gate-to-wire effort at Charles Town where she crossed 6-1/4 lengths the best in her sole career outing. The daughter of Tonalist is trained by Anthony Farrior and will be ridden by Horacio Karamanos from post seven.
Trainer John Robb has two entered in the stakes. No Guts No Glory Farm’s Remember Me and Super C Racing’s Buckin’ Great — both coming off dirt wins at Laurel — will depart from posts three and six with Jose Betancourt and Xavier Perez in the irons respectively.
King Kontie has a current meet victory at the New Kent track on his resume and has been installed as the 3-2 early choice in the Hickory Tree. The Karakontie gelding impressed in a maiden special weight opening week in gate-to-wire fashion. The winner took an eight-length lead into the head of the stretch and crossed 5-3/4 lengths in front. Jockey Fredy Peltroche is back on top and will lead King Kontie from the inside post.
Robert Klimasewski and Tammy Klimasewski’s Going Up is the second early pick. The Mineshaft gelding reached the winners circle May 31 in his career bow at Presque Isle and most recently took a respectable third in the Victoria Stakes at Woodbine. Ronald Dale Allen Jr. will ride for trainer Ron Potts from post three.
First post at Colonial is 1:30 PM.
