Magic Pathway seeks path to victory in $150K Gio Ponti

Live Oak Plantation’s Florida homebred Magic Pathway looks to improve upon a last-out stakes second in Sunday’s $150,000 Gio Ponti, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomores, at Belmont at the Big A. 

Trained by Michael Trombetta, the Quality Road gelding was a 1 1/4-length runner-up last out in the restricted Listed Saranac going 1 1/16 miles on September 1 at Saratoga Race Course. There, Magic Pathway traveled off the pace through the early stages under returning rider Kendrick Carmouche and rallied valiantly up the inside in chase of the victorious Stars and Strides. 

Magic Pathway [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche] was making his stakes debut following a pacesetting 1 1/2-length allowance victory traveling 1 1/16 miles on August 9 at Colonial Downs. With that frontrunning score, the bay rebounded from an uncharacteristic fifth in July at Colonial which followed a trio of on-the-board results. 

“I was really pleased with him in the Saranac,” Trombetta said. “We thought he was worth trying in that stakes. Hopefully, he can do something similar in this race. The only thing I can’t explain is the bad race prior. He threw a little bit of a clunker and I don’t know why, but I’m glad he has since rebounded and ran so well.” 

Magic Pathway, possessing a 7-2-2-1 record with $117,200 in earnings, is out of the Ghostzapper mare Ghostly Win, a half-sister to Grade 1-victor Boisterous.

Domenic Dilalla’s Church and State [post 1, Joel Rosario] enters from a rallying half-length victory in the one-mile Listed Toronto Cup on August 30 at Woodbine Racetrack. Trained by Dale Desruisseaux, the Caravaggio gelding secured his second stakes win to go along with the King Corrie sprinting seven furlongs on Tapeta in May there. 

Church and State has won 4-of-7 career outings, and has plenty of stakes experience with a 1 3/4-length fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Marine over Tapeta on June 28 at Woodbine and a fourth in the one-mile Leonatus in January at Turfway Park. He entered his last race from a third in a four-horse seven-furlong turf allowance on August 8 at the Toronto oval. 

“His last loss on grass in the previous race, he didn’t really have pace to run at,” said Desruisseaux. “They kind of walked the dog up front and sprinted home, which is not what he wants to do. If he gets used up early, then he doesn’t want to finish. It worked out perfectly last time, there was pace in front of him, he was taken back and made one run.”

The gray is cross-entered in the nine-furlong $150,000 Kent on Saturday at Delaware Park. 

“I’m going to see tonight and go from there. The weather in both places doesn’t look the greatest,” Desruisseaux said. “New York is a flat mile, Delaware is a mile and an eighth. I’m not totally sold he won’t get that, but usually at a mile you get a better pace scenario. We’ll make up our mind tonight.” 

Church and State, a $15,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, is a half-brother to multiple group-placed La Berma out of the stakes-placed Vindication mare Full Snow Moon. His second dam is Argentinian Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Netherland. 

Tranquility Lake Farms’ Grade 3-placed Capitol Hill [post 6, Junior Alvarado] looks to rebound from an off-the-board effort in the one-mile Listed Gun Runner on September 6 at Kentucky Downs. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the Into Mischief bay makes his fourth consecutive stakes attempt, his best result a three-quarter-length second to Grade 1-winner Zulu Kingdom in the one-mile Grade 3 Manila on July 4 at Saratoga.

Capitol Hill exited the Manila to run seventh in the 1 3/16-mile Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 2, which returned a career-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure. Out of the winning Smart Strike mare Meadowsweet, Capitol Hill is a full-brother to the Mott-trained 2024 Wood Memorial-winner Resilience. 

Calumet Farm’s Kentucky homebred Candytown [post 5, Edgard Zayas] won a 1 1/16-mile allowance versus elders last out on August 30 at Saratoga. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the Speightstown chestnut bobbled at the start, maintained a forwardly-placed third position under returning rider Edgard Zayas, before edging clear and earning a career/field-best 88 Beyer in victory. 

Candytown was making his fifth career start, all this year, including a third-out graduation going one-mile versus maiden elders in April at Gulfstream Park. He is out of the unraced Candy Ride mare Candymakesmesmile.

Rounding out the field is last out off-the-turf allowance winner X Y Prime [post 3, Javier Castellano] for trainer Jorge Delgado; as well as maiden winners Salamis [post 7, Flavien Prat], a Juddmonte Kentucky homebred half-brother to Grade 1-placed Segesta for five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown; Griffin’s Wharf [post 4, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], second to next-out Saranac-winner Stars and Strides in an August 7 optional claimer at the Spa for conditioner Tom Morley; and Snookie Bear [post 8, Dylan Davis], cross-entered in the Kent at Delaware Park for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. 

The Gio Ponti is slated as Race 8 on Sunday’s nine-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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