Avatar came into the running of the Latonia Stakes after running well in a handful of NY-bred races but was arguably about to have the toughest challenge of her career here since the IA Oaks last Summer. In a field that seemed well-balanced, she went off at odds of 10/1 and would reward her supporters and trainer Smokey Stover with a winning effort.

Like the Rushaway Stakes, the Latonia Stakes is appearing on the schedule for the first time since 2020. This race does not have a lot of history within our game, being only run twice, and for purses of $75.000 and then $100.000. The increase to $250.000 should lead to his becoming a race of interest, and we are off to a good start.

Returning to the schedule in 2024 will be the Rushaway Stakes, a race that was last held in 2020 and was run inconsistently since 2006. The main reason for that was probably the purse level, as on a couple occasions, it went for under $100.000 and then was exactly that every other year.

The Runyon6 Furlongs Dirt Stake Purse $100.000 Open 3 Year Olds Foaled In NY. 1st Admiral Knight Maxmillion Farm Lezcano J This was a good performance by the lightly raced gelding who traveled off the pace and ran out the… Read More ›