Scalable lives up to favoritism in $175K Listed Top Flight

Repole Stable’s graded stakes-winner Scalable doubled up on local stakes victories with a tidy 1 3/4-length score as the 3-2 mutuel favorite in Sunday’s Listed $175,000 Top Flight, a nine-furlong route for older fillies and mares, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Scalable entered from a similar 2 1/4-length score in the Ladies over course and distance on February 6, and notched her third Aqueduct stakes win, also taking the seven-furlong Interborough last year. She moved her local record to 7-3-1-2, which includes a third in the 2024 Grade 3 Comely and two other stakes placings.

Scalable is now 3-for-4 under Kendrick Carmouche, who guided the 5-year-old daughter of Speightstown from the outermost post 6 to sit in fourth early behind the pacesetting Bernietakescharge as she marked the opening quarter-mile in 24.67 seconds over the fast footing with Snowyte tracking just behind in second.

“She broke well, and Kendrick was able to track those leaders,” said Stu Hampson, Pletcher’s Belmont Park-based assistant. “They put up some tepid fractions, but she always looked like she was traveling well. Kendrick knows her well at this point and let her get a little closer inside the half-mile pole and she took over from there. She was very professional.”

Bernietakescharge reached the half-mile in 50.09 and Snowyte crept closer under Jose Lezcano with Carmouche keeping Scalable in the three path and letting her out a notch in the final turn. The pacesetter clung to a precarious lead through three-quarters in 1:14.44, but was tiring as Snowyte stuck her head in front late in the turn with Scalable ranging up in tandem.

Scalable swung wide into the lane with her head turned slightly to the right, but had plenty in reserve as Carmouche brought her in closer to her foe and showed her a left-handed crop, reaching the mile in 1:38.83 and driving home wrapped up in a final time of 1:51.93. Snowyte held second by 4 1/2 lengths over Lost Horizon, who nosed Low Country Magic out of show honors. Bernietakescharge and Ourdaydreaminggirl completed the order of finish.

Carmouche said Scalable was game despite some distractions at the top of the lane.

“The wind was messing with her a little,” Carmouche explained. “She switched off her leads a couple times, but she was always just looking for competition.”

Hampson said Scalable has flourished since returning to route distances after a trio of sprint starts last year.

“She just keeps inching forward. Since we stretched her out, she’s done nothing wrong,” Hampson said. “We’ll see what the next steps hold. We’ve very excited and very proud of her. She’s a filly that’s been around a long time and she’s definitely a barn favorite – a hard trier and a really cool horse to be around.”

Carmouche was in agreement about the distance.

“She loves it,” he said. “My words don’t speak how much she loves going the distance. She goes so easy until you just reach and push her and all of a sudden, she’s out of there. I’m so happy Todd Pletcher and Mike Repole kept this horse in training because I think she’s getting better. I think the distance is a key factor for her.”

Lezcano said the Danny Gargan-trained Snowyte, who made her first stakes appearance since finishing off-the-board as a maiden in the 2024 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar, gave her all in defeat.

“She gave me a very good race,” Lezcano said. “She tried hard the whole way. Take nothing away from the winner – when she came up to me, she went on and won the race. My filly fought the whole way.”

Bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Scalable was a $200,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the Tapit mare Passion Flower, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning multimillionaire Stopchargingmaria. Scalable banked $96,250 in victory while returning $5.16 on a $2 win wager.

Live racing resumes Thursday on Opening Day of the spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack with an eight-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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