Dataman edges away to win the Bald Eagle Derby (Maryland Jockey Club)
Bolivie Gets Her Nose Down in $100K Searching
David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md.— Wertheimer and Frere’s Dataman, a 3-year-old son of Tapit, drove past the pacesetting stakes winner Ari Gold down the stretch to win Sunday’s $100,000 Bald Eagle Derby by three-quarters of a length over a firm 1 3/16-mile turf course.
Trained by Graham Motion and ridden by Jorge Ruiz, Dataman returned $26.80 while covering the distance in 1:54.72.
“Saved our weekend,” said Motion, who saddled Romagna Mia to a third-place finish in the Beverly D. (G1) and watched Nagirroc finish second by a neck in the Secretariat (G2) Sunday at Colonial Downs.
Dataman, out of the Maria’s Mon mare Soldata, broke his maiden at second asking last year on the turf at Colonial before finishing sixth in the Pilgram (G2) and fourth in the Rocky Run. After running twice at Tampa in December and January, Motion gave the gelding some time off. He returned on June 28 after time off in Florida to win an off-the-turf event at Delaware by 11 ¼ lengths.
“I think it really was more about giving him the little break that he had,” Motion said. “Mentally he’s always been a difficult horse. He’s Tapit and he’s very wound up in the morning. But I think we kind of got his number and I think giving him a little break really helped him and he’s a little bit older now and that helps.”
While Ari Gold led his opponents throughout the opening mile, Ruiz raced fourth down the backstretch. Around the turn he guided Dataman inside a tiring Sirtaki and then guided the colt off the rail to drive by Ari Gold inside the final 70 yards.
Motion said “it makes sense” to probably keep Dataman on the grass for now.
Bolivie Gets Her Nose Down in $100K Searching
It wasn’t the prettiest start, but it was a beautiful ending.
Bolivie, a bit unlucky in her first two U.S. starts after having raced in France, overcame an awkward start, and rallied from last to win the $100,000 Searching over Speirling Beag. A 3-year-old filly by Exceed and Excel, Bolivie covered a firm 1 1/16-mile course in 1:42.73 for jockey Feargal Lynch and trainer Brendan Walsh.
“Brendan just said to me ‘Listen, ride your race,’ “ Lynch said. “I was expecting to be a little bit closer, but she didn’t break right. It was a bit of a fast start. We went to jump, a few horses got fractious, so we reset, and she broke slow, so I took my medicine.”
Lynch followed favored Speirling Beag, trained by Graham Motion, down the backstretch. “I jumped onto Graham’s filly since she was the one to beat,” Lynch said. “When I saw [Speirling Beag] go inside, I said I only got one option. I got to go outside.”
Lynch’s decision paid off with a nose victory. Speirling Beag held the place and Cecile was third.
Bolivie returned $10.80.
Looking Ahead: Turf stakes races at Laurel continue next weekend with the $100,000 The Find, for 3-year-olds and up, and the $100,000 All Brandy, for fillies and mares. Both will be contested over 1 1/6 mile. Enjoy the stakes races while dining on all-you-can eat Maryland blue crab along with side dishes and Guinness Blonde and Coors Light. It’s the Taste at the Track. For more information and tickets go to: https://am.ticketmaster.com/marylandjockeyclub/crab
