The Palm Beach Stakes (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
GP- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
March 2, 2019

Trainer High Voltage ran their first career race with a horse named Jessika on June 9th of 2018. Nine months later, they’ve left Jessika behind and have moved on to Jamie. Laffin Jamie, that is. Career start #203 will go down as a special one for the trainer, as they pick up their first graded stake win, here in the Palm Beach Stakes with Laffin Jamie, a horse they claimed before they even ran a first race, for just $7.000. A special congratulations goes out to High Voltage on this achievement, as for some of us, this took much longer. This looks to be a trainer that we should all be keeping an eye on, and I look forward to covering their future stake wins as well. Jockey T Gaffalione is also a first time winner of the race. The time of the victory was 1:39.62, the second quickest of the five editions of the race held at this distance. Let’s take a look!

(1/4 Mile- :23.94)- A clean start to the race that does not see anyone particularly eager to go to the lead. Eventually, moreso because someone has to be first, it is Coco, for Joshua Stables, out in front by half a length, with our eventual winner Laffin Jamie, running for High Voltage, running to her inside. Devils Tower, the post time favorite from Smokey Stover, as well as being our pick, stalks the front runners quite comfortably. Further back, we have a three wide group consisting of, from inside to outside, Cut The Brakes (Estero Farms), Face Your Fears (Mb Stables), and Clutch (Aer Stables). Trailing are Warino (D J C Racing Stables) and Manifestation (Barcelona Farms).

(½ Mile- :47.18)- During the second quarter of the race, Laffin Jamie picks it up a notch and makes a clean pass of Coco to take over the race lead. T Gaffalione keeps her running hard here and he quickly opens up by a length and a half on the rest of the field. Coco began to retreat to the rest of the field. He was still second at this point, but had Devils Tower looking to go around her to the outside. Cut The Brakes and Clutch were in the middle of the field, with neither ready to make an advance at this point. Face Your Fears was now in the back with Warino and Manifestation.

(Top Of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- For a trainer that was still looking for their first graded stake win, it had to be a complete thrill to see them open up by such an advantage in the turn. Heading into the top of the stretch, Laffin Jamie had a lead of three and a half lengths. The rest of the field let her get away, as it really looked like Laffin Jamie won this race in the backstretch, running with authority while others in the field were not as interested. While there still could be some time, it would take more then a dramatic close to win now, Laffin Jamie would have to fatigue, and that was not looking like something that was going to happen. Devils Tower was second, and Face Your Fears was coming on from the back. Coco, Cut The Brakes and Manifestation were nearby. Warino and Clutch trailed.

(Finish- 1:39.62)- All that was left to do in the stretch was watch Laffin Jamie run. She held her ground, and easily picked up the win. High Voltage gets to enjoy their first graded win in a romp, so congratulations again. Face Your Fears is the best of the rest, and is credited with second, but was never a threat to the winner. Manifestation nipped Devils Tower for the third place check. Cut The Brakes, Warino, Coco, and Clutch round out the order.

About The Winner- Laffin Jamie, trained by High Voltage and ridden to victory by T Gaffalione, is a three year old gelding by the late Laffin Blue, and is out of Claire Randall. He was bred in Califonia by Barcelona Farms as a yearling, and acquired by High Voltage in a maiden claiming race (his debut race) for just $7.000 in May 2018. It was the only claim that day for Laffin Jamie, in a race that saw three others get claimed as well. The win is his fourth in seven starts, his second stake win, and first graded win. His career earnings are now $168.240.

Track: Firm
Time: :23⁴  :47   1:10   1:39³

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 3 – 5 Paid 26.60
$1 Trifecta: 3 – 5 – 4 Paid 697.40

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES