Con Te Partiro / NYRA Photo

Con Te Partiro rallies to take Bolton Landing

by Jenny Kellner

Given a clear run on the outside, Con Te Partiro closed fastest of all through the stretch to take Wednesday's $100,000 Bolton Landing at Saratoga Race Course by 5 3/4 emphatic lengths over Jazz Lady.

Under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, Con Te Partiro enjoyed a ground-saving trip behind swift early fractions of 22.00 and 45.11 seconds set by Big City Dreaming, dropping back to sixth entering the far turn. Angled off the rail and avoiding the fallen Lull as the field of 2-year-old fillies turned for home, Con Te Partito hit her best stride once straightened away approaching the eighth pole, surging past the tiring pacesetter in deep stretch and hitting the wire in 1:03.95 for 5 ½ furlongs.

Lull, the 6-5 favorite, clipped heels on the far turn and fell, unseating jockey Manuel Franco. Both horse and rider got up immediately and appeared uninjured.

"I didn't have enough speed to be there [with the early leaders], so I sat there thinking 'make one run with her,'" said Velazquez of Con Te Partito, who was making her turf debut. "[When] the horse fell in front of me, I just kind of went back to the inside then came out at the eighth pole." 

The victory was the second in three starts for the Wesley Ward-trained daughter of Scat Daddy, who broke her maiden at in April at Keeneland and next finished fourth behind stablemate SIlvertoni facing males in the Kentucky Juvenile at Churchill Downs.

Sent off at 9-1, Con Te Partito returned $20.80 for a $2 win wager and increased her earnings to $94,900 for Hat Creek Racing.

Jazz City finished 1 1/2 lengths in front of Heartspoke, who was followed in turn by China Grove, Big City Dreamin, Truthful, and Kissin Cassie.

Inspired Flight and Main Track Only entrant Made Me Shiver were scratched.