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​Sweetlou’sgotaces graduates in style in $120K Tepin

by Keith McCalmont

Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Twin Sports Racing’s Sweetlou’sgotaces, perfectly piloted by Joel Rosario, made every pole a winning one in Sunday’s $120,000 Tepin, a one-mile inner-turf test for juvenile fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Ray Handal, the dark bay daughter of Constitution graduated at fourth asking following a trio of turf sprints that included an off-the-board effort in the Grade 3 Matron here in October, and a narrow nose defeat last out on November 4 in a six-furlong maiden special weight.

Handal said he let Rosario work out the winning trip.

“I just let Joel do his thing, give him the keys to the car and decide, but I felt pretty good going into the first turn,” Handal said. “She went 24 and 3 and then you see all the kickback, so it’s nice to be getting the fresh part of the ground and dictating things. She was just traveling so well all the way around there. It felt pretty good to watch.”

Sent to post as the 2-1 mutuel favorite, Sweetlou’sgotaces set splits of 24.76 seconds, 49.23 and 1:14.01 over the good going with the Irad Ortiz, Jr.-piloted Private Credit tracking in second position. Sweetlou’sgotaces led the field into the final turn and kicked clear under a hand ride to notch the four-length score in a final time of 1:38.49. 

The Dylan Davis-piloted Smokie Eyes rallied from sixth position to complete the exacta by a head over Alluring Angel with Bulsara, Lifelovenlaughter, Private Credit, Next Episode, The Classy One, Agua Dulce and Thirty Thou Kelvin rounding out the order of finish. Main-track only entrants Gambling Girl, La Vita Sofia, Interpolate and Shidabhuti were scratched.

Rosario said he wanted to take advantage of his filly’s speed as she stretched out beyond six furlongs for the first time.

“I just let her be happy, get out of there and try to get position,” Rosario said. “She found herself on the lead and she was going easy and looking around nice. She did really well to hang in there.

“I was really happy with [the trip] past the backside and it looked like she was handling the ground,” he added. “I was just hoping she would have a little extra at the end and she did.”

Davis said the Christophe Clement-trained Smokie Eyes, who was third last out in the Chelsey Flower in October here, did well to overcome a troubled start.

“She did stumble out of the gate and I was expecting her to be a lot closer, but it was a change of plans,” Davis said. “She saved ground again in the second turn and she gave me a great kick to the wire today. She ran great. Christophe was happy and I think he’ll have some fun with her next year.”

Handal said Sweetlou’sgotaces will head to Florida and hone in on another stakes start.

“We’ll take her to Palm Meadows and she’ll probably get a few weeks of turnout and let the dust settle. They have a few turf stakes there,” Handal said.

 Sweetlou’sgotaces is out of the Lonhro mare Kayce Lu, who is a half-sister to graded-stakes winner Comical. Bred in Kentucky by Town and Country Horse Farms and George Saufley, Sweetlou’sgotaces banked $66,000 in victory while improving her record to 4-1-2-0. She returned $6.50 for a $2 win ticket. 

Live racing resumes Thursday at the Big A with a nine-race card. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.  

America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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