Fair Point earns 1st stakes victory

Competitive race ends in photo finish

SARATOGA SPRINGS >> Even with a reduced field of six — there were five scratches, including three MTOs — Sunday’s featured Smart N Fancy Stakes still presented something of a puzzle. Several horses had shown ability at the 5 ½-furlong distance, and the field appeared to be evenly split between closers and need-the-lead types. It didn’t look like anyone could be dismissed out of hand.

As expected, odds-on Animal Appeal broke first from his outside post, trailed by Pretty Perfection and Santifica. Those three established some distance on the rest of the field, but by the time Animal Appeal turned the corner

with a short lead, the others were starting to close in.

Animal Appeal at first looked like she might hold on. But then Miss Ella and Fair Point mounted a challenge — Miss Ella to the inside and Fair Point on the outside — going by the leader inside the sixteenth pole and hitting the wire together.

The photo showed Fair Point the winner by a head. Animal Appeal finished a length and a quarter back in third, followed by Santifica, Means Well and Pretty Perfection. The running time over firm going was a swift 1 minute, 1.18 seconds.

“Before we came up here, (winning jockey) Jose (Ortiz) said, ‘Man, I’d love to ride her 5 ½ (furlongs) on the turf where I can kind of take her back and slingshot her,’” said winning trainer Shug McGaughey. “I put her in a three-otherthan [allowance] the other day, and the race didn’t go, so we ended up here. It worked out great for us because that’s the first black type she got.

“You can see she’s got really consistent form. We’re excited about her. It was fun watching her run.”

The Smart N Fancy was Fair Point’s first stakes appearance. The win boosts her record to 4-6-1 from a dozen starts. The 4-year-old daughter of Smart Strike has earned $309,850 for owner Stuart S. Janney III.

Fair Point paid $12.20 as the 5-1 third choice in the wagering.