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Hartigan with jockey Luis Garcia
Photo Credit: Jim McCue/MJC
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BALTIMORE, 05-10-08---After rain forced the race off the turf and four fillies defected from today’s $50,000 Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, the Richard Small trained entry of Hartigan and Inventive ran first and third.
No Use Denying finished a gutsy second between the entry and Ocala Gator faded to last after forcing the pace in the 1-1/16th mile test on the good main track. Hartigan completed the distance in 1:46.24 and the entry paid $2.80. Fitzhugh LLC (Robert Meyerhoff) owns and bred both of the Small-trained fillies.
“I think the turf is fine for either one of them but they both ran well and I was pleased with both of them,” Small said. “Haritgan is sort of an overachiever type and she’s pretty darn versatile. Pretty much any distance, any surface, it doesn’t really seem to matter.”
Luis Garcia, who won the Gin Talking Stakes with Hartigan on the turf at Laurel Park last September, has been aboard the daughter of Include for all three of her career victories. The duo has never been off the board in six races together.
“I think she knows me,” Garcia said. “She is a really nice filly. She is small but has a big heart and you knew Dickie (Small) would have her ready. He is one of the best trainers in the state.”
Hartigan, who has finished in the money in seven of eight starts, has now earned $115,000. Her only off the board finish was a seventh place finish behind Bsharpsonata in the Selima Stakes at Laurel on the De Francis Dash undercard last year.
LAKE, ARCE SCORE THREE TIMES ON SATURDAY CARD
Exactly one week after combining to win four races at Pimlico in one afternoon, trainer Scott Lake and his new stable rider Josue Arce teamed up to win three races on Saturday’s 10-race card. The duo reached the winners’ circle with Lucky Frolic ($3.60-first), Anthony J. ($3.40-fourth) and Casual ($2.80-sixth).
Lake leads all trainers with 14 victories in the first 15 days of the spring meeting, 10 more than any other conditioner. Arce ranks second in the jockey standings with 14 wins, all but one for Lake.
Lucky Frolic is owned by Robert Cole. On yesterday’s card four horses owned by Cole won races at Pimlico with four different trainers: Lake, Howard Wolfendale, Benny Feliciano and Stephanie Beattie.
-MJC-