Nownownow Stakes ($500.000 Purse)
MTH- For Two Year Olds
One Mile on the Turf
September 17, 2022

It can be easy to look past a maiden in a race like this simply because they have never won before. Pink Shark always seemed a little different, and he did have a very close call in a very strong maiden race back in July. This is the type of race that, when a maiden does win, it can happen in, and Pink Shark didn’t seem unreasonable at all. The betting public thought the same way, and made the Arindel gelding the post time favorite, and they would not be disappointed with the result. Now, in the Nownownow, Pink Shark picked up his win and will be one to watch to do so in more races just like this one. This was just the second time that this race has been held, and both Arindel and jockey P Lopez will see their names added to the winner board for the first time. Congratulations to them! The race was won in a time of 1:33.45, just .01 off the time from last year. Let’s take a look at it!

(1/4 Mile- :23.17)- Whisky Tango jumps out to the early lead for Nakamura Stables, and he will hold a lead of about two lengths as he moves into the opening turn. Running in the second position would be our eventual winner, Arindel’s Pink Shark, and he is able to run by himself at this time. In the middle of the field, Tom Kha Gai runs in the outside lane for Acber Farms while Threshold’s Shaman holds the rail. At the back, and a length behind them are Man A Yard (Night Rider Stables) and Sweet And Innocent (Mb Stables).

(½ Mile- :46.56)- Whisky Tango is still in the midway through the backstretch, but that two length lead has all but completely disappeared. He has company now, as Pink Shark has pulled up right to his outside and is poised to push for the lead before we even each the final turn. Tom Kha Gai also did well to close in, and he runs just a length further back in third. Shaman, how had been beside him, did not opt to move forward with him and is still around three lengths from the lead while Man A Yard and Sweet And Innocent still trail the field.

(Top of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- We could see it coming, and Pink Shark would not let us down, completing the pass for Whisky Tango before they were even finished running in the backstretch. Once Pink Shark went by him, Whisky Tango really began to show signs of fatigue. None of that was present for Pink Shark, however, as he handles to the turn beautifully and emerges at the top of the stretch with a commanding three length lead. The more disappointing horse here was Tom Kha Gai, who seemed like he could run with Pink Shark much more but he packed it in as well. Shaman was the middle of three wide for second more by default than because he was making a move. Man A Yard and Sweet And Innocent still had shown nothing but were still each a length away from a second place payday.

(Finish- 1:33.45)- You mean to tell me that’s a maiden dominating a race like this? Hopefully everyone who lost to Pink Shark in his last few races can take note because maybe they are a lot better than it seems. With a commanding three length lead in the stretch, he didn’t have to be full of drive going to the wire, he just needed to be good enough, and he would be, winning the race easily by a length. Sweet And Innocent and Man A Yard were not factors but complete your exacta and trifecta bets. Shaman gets fourth place spoils for doing little, but it was still better than what Tom Kha Gai and Whisky Tango had done.

About The Winner- Pink Shark, trained by Arindel and ridden to victory by P Lopez, is a two year old gelding by Shark Force and is out of Pink Presence. He was bred in Florida by Arindel as a yearling, and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! This was his first win, and comes in his sixth start. His career earnings are now $360.840.

Track: Firm
Time: :23   :46²  1:09³  1:33²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 6 – 2 Paid 14.20
$1 Trifecta: 6 – 2 – 5 Paid 1,028.40

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded