April 27, 2025
TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon
Worth Waiting For
Some of the best players in their respective sports are late bloomers: Sam Reinhart, Jarren Duran, Jalen Brunson, to name a few.
While Public Assembly isn’t there yet, the 4-year-old filly is trending in the right direction after claiming her first graded stakes trophy in Saturday’s $103,000 Royal Heroine (G3T) at Santa Anita.
Following a pair of uninspiring outings to begin her career (ninth and fifth), Public Assembly has now won three of her last four starts, with her lone loss being a hard-fought second.
Standing at 3-1-0 with nearly $225,000 banked across six lifetime starts, the ascending Philip D’Amato charge paid a cool $18 in the Royal Heroine.
Someone’s Going to be Upset
A slight upset in Saturday’s $200,000 Roxelana Stakes at Churchill Downs was almost a monumental upset, but 4-1 third choice Mink’s Palace did just enough to ward off the field of seven’s longest shot Tripolina (16-1).
Hustling into the stretch atop the pace, Mink’s Palace was being trailed closely not by Tripolina, but the board’s second and first choices, Sandy Bottom (2-1) and Harbor Springs (6-5).
However, both leading contenders were quickly tracked down by the dogged underdog, who put up a valiant fight but ultimately fell a half-length short.
The victor, Mink’s Palace, earned her first stakes win in her third attempt at the level to improve to 4-1-1 through nine starts.
The Luis Saez mount paid $10.06.
With Purpose
Make no mistake, Majestic Oops was worthy of the top spot in Saturday afternoon’s $200,000 Dig A Diamond Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
Lined up in post seven, the Dan Ward trainee and fourth choice in the field of seven at 9-1 exercised incredible patience before gliding to the outside and kicking it into high gear.
Heavy closing line favourite Hoosier Philly (3-5) proved no match for the determined Majestic Oops, who cruised to the finish 2 ¾ lengths ahead of the clubhouse leader.
The breakthrough score, which netted the 5-year-mare her first stakes tally of her 28-start career, paid a sweet $21.60.
Frenzied Finish
Three horses met at the finish line in the $125,000 Woodhaven, but only one took home the top prize.
Aqueduct’s Saturday afternoon crowd was treated to an exhilarating finish courtesy of Dream On, Septarian, and Sounds Like a Plan, who together formed a three-headed monster at the wire.
With the slimmest of margins separating them, it was Dream On who got the last laugh, finishing a neck ahead of Septarian. Sounds Like a Plan landed in third, a head behind Septarian, and a nose in front of Revolutionnaire (FR).
Adding to the hectic resolution, the fifth, sixth, and seventh place finishers all landed within a length-and-a-half of fourth.
At 4-1, Dream On paid an even $10.
Chalk it Up
Mansetti and rider Pietro Moran made the most of their favorite status in the $125,000 Woodstock, cruising to a 4-length decision on Sunday afternoon.
Operating out of post two in the eight-horse field, the young duo wasted no time establishing a favorable position around the top-half of the pack.
From there, it was curtains for their contemporaries, as Mansetti and Moran bolted ahead for the decisive triumph.
The second stakes success of the Kevin Attard trainee’s career (November’s Clarendon) is his third win overall from five starts.
As the 2-1 choice, Mansetti paid $6.80.