5YO Gelding Chasing Seventh Straight Turf Win in Parx Dash
LAUREL, Md. – Steve Newby’s Justwaveandsmile, dramatic winner of the Ben’s Cat July 30 at Laurel Park in his stakes debut, will be taking his show on the road for the first time with the chance for a seventh consecutive turf victory.
Based at Laurel with trainer Dale Capuano, Maryland-bred Justwaveandsmile will face open company breaking from the rail in a field of eight in the $200,000 Parx Dash sprinting five furlongs Aug. 23. The 5-year-old Secret Circle gelding has made each of his 17 career starts at either Laurel or historic Pimlico Race Course.
“He’s doing well. He’s ready to run and that looks like a decent spot,” Capuano said. “I would have liked a little better post than the one post for him, but that’s what we’ve got so hopefully the weather will be good and we get a chance to run.”
Justwaveandsmile breezed three furlongs in 36.60 seconds Aug. 18 in his lone tune-up between the Parx Dash, run as a Grade 3 from 2003-2021, and the 5 ½-furlong Ben’s Cat, where he came with a furious late run on the far outside to catch favored Grateful Bred in the final strides and win by a neck.
Grateful Bred won the Maryland Million Turf Sprint and Meadow Stable last year and has also run second in three other stakes. Third in the Ben’s Cat was Jaxon Traveler, whose four stakes wins include the May 21 Maryland Sprint (G3) at Pimlico.
“His last race was pretty good. The two horses that were behind him, second and third, are pretty nice horses and I don’t think there’s anything in this race coming up any tougher than those two, so now we’ll see if he can duplicate his race on the road.
“He seems to do everything right. He’s an easy-going type of horse,” he added. “He’s not a big horse. He just kind of does what you need him to do, so I assume that he’ll handle it well. We’ll see. There’s only one way to find out.”
Justwaveandsmile is third choice on the morning line at 4-1, behind 2021 Parx Dash (G3) winner The Critical Way (2-1) and April 30 Elusive Quality winner Scuttlebuzz (5-2), who exits back-to-back graded-stakes.
Bred by Mr. and Mrs. Charles McGuinnes and Colleen Torsney, Justwaveandsmile is out of the Officer mare Anofficerandalady, who won six of 20 starts including the 2007 P.G. Johnson and 2008 Mom’s Command sprinting on the turf, and earned more than $200,000.
Justwaveandsmile debuted at Pimlico in November 2019 and made his first eight starts on dirt before finishing third in back-to-back turf starts last summer. He hasn’t lost on the grass since, winning six consecutive races including each of the last three following a fourth in an off-the-turf starter optional claimer May 15 at Pimlico, his season opener off a six-month layoff.
“We knew he was bred for the turf. His mother was a pretty good turf horse. A lot of times it’s circumstances, when they’re ready to run [or if] turf season’s over and you don’t get a chance,” Capuano said. “It just took a little longer than I had hoped, but last summer we finally got him on there. I think he was rained out a couple of times as well.
“He kind of disappointed me when he didn’t [win] off the bat. I think his first couple races he was third and then he started winning,” he added. “Why, I don’t know, but once he started winning on the turf he hasn’t lost. We’ll just see how long we can keep going. It looks nice with all those ‘1’s’ there.”
Capuano plans to breeze Newby’s Vance Scholars Sunday on the Laurel turf. The Holy Boss gelding, bred in Maryland by Anchor & Hope Farm, opened his 3-year-old season by winning the 1 3/16-mile Bald Eagle Derby Aug. 6 at Laurel.
Among the spots under consideration are the $300,000 Virginia Derby (G3) for 3-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles Sept. 6 at Colonial Downs and the $150,000 Cape Henlopen for 3-year-olds and up going 1 ½ miles Sept. 8 at Delaware Park.
“He’s doing well. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with him. He’ll work tomorrow and then we’ll decide,” Capuano said. “We’ll leave our options open. But, he’s doing well and came out of the race feeling good and strong. He wasn’t tired. We’ll see what happens.”
David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
Photo by Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
