Chelsea Durand / NYRA Photo

Pat’s No Fool wins stakes debut in Maddie May

by Brian Bohl

Harry J. Loso’s Pat’s No Fool made her backers look smart, with the 16-1 mutuel selection outkicking Wadadli Princess and Elegant Zip in deep stretch to win the fourth running of the $100,000 Maddie May for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies by three-quarters of a length on Sunday, closing day of the winter meet, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Pat’s No Fool, a Silver member of the NYRA Starter Loyalty Program, stayed well off the pace as Shelley Ann led the 10-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 23.81 seconds and the half in 48.26 on a good and harrowed main track.

Making her stakes debut in her fourth start, Pat’s No Fool was tipped out four-wide in the upper stretch by jockey Jevian Toledo, taking command around the turn. The Gary Capuano trainee held that edge in the stretch, but Elegant Zip, under jockey Dylan Davis, made a bid up the rail while Wadadli Princess was urged all-out by jockey Jose Lezcano from the outside. Geared down, Pat’s No Fool hit the wire in a final time of 1:41.80 for the one-turn mile, notching the win in her first race at the Big A.

“She has a lot of ability,” said Capuano, who won his first stakes since the Cape Henlopen on July 7 at Delaware Park. “We knew this was a New York-bred race, and she had been training super. We thought she had the talent. She’s a big, strong filly. She does everything right. She didn’t break as good as I thought, but she got the perfect setup. He [jockey Jevian Toledo] got her to the outside and made a nice sustained run and was able to hold off. This was a big effort. It was big.”

Pat’s No Fool, bred by Banahan Farms and Saratoga Glen Farm, returned $34.40 on a $2 win bet, more than doubling her career earnings to $77,545.

“I was worried because I was a little bit wide, but I think she’s a better horse on the outside,” Toledo said. “I knew that if I was at little wide on the turn to the quarter pole, she was going to give me something, because she always picks it up in the last part, and that’s what she did. We got the job done. 

“It’s a long stretch. I knew she was going to give me something. At least she held on. You can’t ask for more than that.”

Wadadli Princess, a Silver NYRA Starter Loyalty Program-member, edged Gold member Elegant Zip by a nose for second. Trained by Patrick Kelly, Wadadli Princess has been a runner-up in back-to-back stakes, including the six-furlong Franklin Square on February 23 at Aqueduct.

Today Comes Once, Cheatham Hill, Flush, Intoxicologist, Saratoga Style, Shelley Ann and Maiden Beauty completed the order of finish.

The 12-day 2019 Aqueduct spring meet begins on Friday, April 5 and is highlighted by the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by NYRA Bets, along with four supporting graded stakes on Saturday, April 6. The spring meet concludes on Sunday, April 20.