Taxation Is Theft wasted no time taking control of the $250.000 ELP Debutante and never surrendered it. The TwinTowersRacing filly broke to the front, led at every recorded call and had enough left to repel a serious late challenge from stablemate Doubtville Gal, winning the seven-furlong dirt stake by one-half length. Owned and trained by TwinTowersRacing and ridden by Hernandez R M, Taxation Is Theft went off at 9-1 and completed the race in 1:22.49 over a fast ELP surface.

Race Recap

The $250.000 ELP Debutante brought together 12 2-year-old fillies at seven furlongs, and Taxation Is Theft dictated the race from the outset.

Taxation Is Theft established a one-length advantage through the opening quarter in :22.3, with Out Love Victor second and Queen Of Vegas third. Teraset occupied fourth, followed by Shards Of Bo and Kikis Trouble.

Rather than yielding after the quick opening quarter, Taxation Is Theft increased her advantage. She reached the half-mile in :46 with a two-length lead. Out Love Victor remained her nearest pursuer in second, Teraset moved into third and Queen Of Vegas slipped to fourth.

The leader was still in command after six furlongs in 1:10, although the field had begun to close the gap. Taxation Is Theft held a one-length advantage as Teraset advanced into second. Kikis Trouble made a notable move into third, while Out Love Victor, who had chased the winner through the first half-mile, dropped to fourth.

The most serious threat was developing much farther back. Doubtville Gal, who had been 11th by seven lengths at the opening call and 11th by nine at the half-mile, advanced to seventh while five lengths behind at the six-furlong call and then produced a powerful closing run.

Taxation Is Theft nevertheless had saved enough to finish the job. Doubtville Gal continued to cut into the leader’s advantage but ran out of ground, leaving Taxation Is Theft a one-half-length winner. Teraset finished third, with Kikis Trouble fourth.

The victory was Taxation Is Theft’s second from four career starts and gave TwinTowersRacing a one-two finish with Taxation Is Theft and Doubtville Gal.

The Running — Flow & Calls

Opening quarter — :22.3: Taxation Is Theft immediately took command and led by one length. Out Love Victor was second by one length, with Queen Of Vegas third by one. Teraset settled into fourth, two lengths behind the leader, while Shards Of Bo was fifth by two and Kikis Trouble sixth by five. Helly Eagan followed in seventh by six, Empire State Lady was eighth by six, Nite Wish ninth by six and Seven Of Spades tenth by six. Doubtville Gal was 11th by seven, while Excellent Meeting trailed in 12th by eight.

Half-mile — :46: Taxation Is Theft strengthened her position, increasing her advantage from one length to two. Out Love Victor continued in second, two lengths behind. Teraset improved from fourth to third and was two lengths back, while Queen Of Vegas dropped from third to fourth and was three lengths behind. Shards Of Bo remained fifth, now four lengths back, and Kikis Trouble stayed sixth at a six-length deficit. Helly Eagan remained seventh, Seven Of Spades advanced from tenth to eighth, Empire State Lady slipped to ninth and Nite Wish dropped to tenth. Doubtville Gal remained 11th and was nine lengths behind, with Excellent Meeting still 12th.

Six furlongs — 1:10: Taxation Is Theft continued to lead, reaching the six-furlong marker in 1:10 with a one-length advantage. Teraset advanced again, moving from third into second and drawing to within a length of the leader. Kikis Trouble made one of the race’s more significant moves, progressing from sixth to third and getting within four lengths. Out Love Victor began to retreat after chasing Taxation Is Theft early and fell from second to fourth. Queen Of Vegas was fifth, Shards Of Bo sixth and Doubtville Gal began her late charge, moving from 11th to seventh while cutting her deficit to five lengths. Helly Eagan was eighth, Empire State Lady ninth, Seven Of Spades tenth, Nite Wish 11th and Excellent Meeting remained 12th.

Stretch to finish: Taxation Is Theft faced her strongest pressure late but never relinquished the lead. Doubtville Gal accelerated dramatically from seventh and five lengths behind at the previous call to become the leader’s principal challenger. Taxation Is Theft held her off to complete the wire-to-wire victory.

Teraset, who had reached second at the six-furlong marker, finished third. Kikis Trouble continued her improved showing to take fourth. Nite Wish produced another significant late move, coming from 11th at the previous call to finish fifth. Helly Eagan improved from eighth to sixth, while Empire State Lady advanced from ninth to seventh.

Excellent Meeting improved from 12th to eighth during the final portion. Queen Of Vegas faded from fifth to ninth, and Out Love Victor, Taxation Is Theft’s closest early pursuer, dropped from fourth to tenth. Shards Of Bo went from sixth to 11th, while Seven Of Spades finished 12th.

The shape of the race ultimately highlighted two very different performances from the TwinTowersRacing fillies. Taxation Is Theft won by controlling the race from beginning to end, while Doubtville Gal nearly caught her after racing well behind the leader through the first six furlongs.

Each Runner Mentioned

Taxation Is Theft — Took the lead immediately, led by one length at the opening call, expanded that advantage to two lengths at the half and remained one length in front after six furlongs. She then held off the late charge of Doubtville Gal to complete a wire-to-wire stakes victory.

Doubtville Gal — Had substantial ground to make up after racing 11th through the opening half-mile. She was still five lengths behind in seventh after six furlongs before launching a strong late run that carried her into second and within one-half length of the winner.

Teraset — Stayed close to the pace throughout, moving from fourth to third and then into second behind Taxation Is Theft. She could not get past the winner and finished third, maintaining her record of finishing in the top three in all four career starts.

Kikis Trouble — Raced sixth through the first half-mile before advancing to third at the six-furlong call and finishing fourth. At 41.10-1, she delivered a much stronger performance than the wagering suggested.

Nite Wish — The post-time favorite was ninth, then tenth and subsequently 11th after six furlongs. She produced a substantial late rally to recover to fifth.

Helly Eagan — Maintained seventh through the first half-mile, dropped to eighth after six furlongs and then improved to sixth at the finish.

Empire State Lady — Was eighth at the opening call and ninth through the next two calls before gaining two positions late to finish seventh.

Excellent Meeting — Trailed in 12th through the first three calls before passing four rivals during the final portion to finish eighth.

Queen Of Vegas — Began prominently in third but gradually lost position, going to fourth and then fifth before finishing ninth.

Out Love Victor — Was the primary early pursuer of Taxation Is Theft, racing second through the opening quarter and half-mile. She dropped to fourth after six furlongs and weakened further to finish tenth.

Shards Of Bo — Held fifth through the first two calls and was sixth after six furlongs before dropping back to finish 11th.

Seven Of Spades — Raced tenth at the opening call, advanced to eighth at the half-mile marker, dropped back to tenth after six furlongs and finished 12th.

Taxation Is Theft is a chestnut daughter of Hunterman out of Exulted Chai, bred in Kentucky by TwinTowersRacing and currently owned and trained by TwinTowersRacing. With two victories, one second and one third from four starts, her supplied lifetime earnings now stand at $229.280.

Track: Fast
Time: :22³  :46  1:10  1:22²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 12 – 9 Paid 110.30
$1 Trifecta: 12 – 9 – 10 Paid 403.40

Scratched: None

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded