Apple Picker. (Maryland Jockey Club)
David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md. – Michael Dubb’s Apple Picker, racing over her home track for the first time since becoming a graded-stakes winner in mid-February, came with a steady run down the center of the track to reel in pacesetter Ms. Bucchero and go on to a three-length victory in the $100,000 Alma North for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting 6 ½ furlongs.
It was the sixth win and third in a stakes for Apple Picker ($4), who bounced back from an eighth-place finish in the seven-furlong Bed o’ Roses (G3) June 15 at Aqueduct. She improved to two wins and two seconds from four tries at Laurel, capped by the Barbara Fritchie (G3) Feb. 17.
“She loves it here. She’s good at home. She likes this track. I think it’s simple, just kind of keep her doing what she likes,” winning trainer Brittany Russell said. “We took her to New York twice. Maybe she didn’t like that track, maybe it was too tough, maybe she didn’t get the setup. Whatever the excuses were, it didn’t go well so we won’t try that again. I’m not saying we won’t ship her elsewhere.”
Ms. Bucchero, exiting a six-furlong allowance win June 21 at Laurel where she sat of the pace before coming on to win by two lengths, went straight to the lead under Jose Batista and posted a quarter-mile in 22.68 seconds. They extended their advantage after a half in 46.04 and approached the stretch in command, but jockey Sheldon Russell was able to split horses and set Apple Picker down for a drive to the wire.
“She just looks like she’s galloping [with] too much to do,” Russell said. “The filly in front, she was just doing her thing on her own and I was like, ‘Oh, geez, we’re going to have a hard time running her down here,’ but Sheldon, he made it happen.”
Ms. Bucchero held second, 1 ½ lengths ahead of Chilean Group 1 winner Joke Sisi, followed by Happy Clouds, Bella Bettina and Sweet Alyssa. Deco Strong, Late Frost and Talk to the Judge were scratched.
The Alma North is named for the Maryland-bred champion 3-year-old filly and Horse of the Year in 1971 and Maryland-bred champion older filly of 1972. Owned by the late Eugene Mori’s East Acres Stable, Alma North won 23 of 78 career starts with $513,597 in purse earnings from 1970-74. Her victories included graded-stakes scores in the Matchmaker (G1) and Vineland (G2), Margate (G3) and Betsy Ross (G3) handicaps in 1973.
