Richard and Nancy Kaster’s U S Marshal prevailed with a prominent trip, engineered by jockey David Moran, in Sunday’s $102,800 Wando Stakes, at Woodbine.
Trained by Ian Black, the Badge of Silver bay arrived at the 1 1/16-miles ‘Poly’ event for three-year-olds from a productive winter campaign at Gulfstream Park that included a solid second-place effort in a grassy allowance route.
Decision Day, last year’s Coronation Futurity champ, set the pace under Jesse Campbell in a compact five-horse field marking off splits of :25.03, :49.99 and 1:14.87, with U S Marshal never more than a length off his flank.
Moran urged U S Marshal into motion through the final turn, putting away Decision Day, and stayed on strong down the lane to hold off the rallying Seventhfleethumor by a length. Bear At Last got up for show money. U S Marshall covered 1 1/16-miles in 1:45.54.
The race went exactly to plan for Moran and the Kentucky-bred U S Marshal.
“I had a great trip. I said to Ian before the race that we’d probably end up running second behind Josie’s (Carroll, Decision Day)horse,” said Moran. “Going down the back, he was dragging me along nicely. I could see Jesse (Campbell, aboard Decision Day) was already struggling at the half and once I got most of the way around the turn, I just sent him about it and he never stopped. He kept going strong to the wire.”
Moran wasn’t too concerned with the rest of the field once he made the lead.
“He was very game and I never felt like he was going to stop. He tried all the way to the wire,” said Moran.
U S Marshal enjoyed a strong juvenile season at Woodbine, finishing third in the grassy Grade 2 Summer Stakes, before graduating in his final start of the campaign. He banked $60,000 in victory while improving his record to 2-2-1 from nine career starts.
U S Marshal paid $11.70, $6.40 and $3.20, combining with Seventhfleethumor ($6.60, $4) for a $67.30 (3-2) exactor. A 3-2-4 triactor (Bear At Last, $3.50 to show) was worth $219.
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