Slideway look at a hole along the tracks in the stretch of the $200,000 Palisades Stakes on April 10 at Keenelandget through it, and go on to win as the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) favorite Twilight Sparkle went wide after leading most of the way and came in second.
Twilight Gleaming, daughter of naitional defense who was a veteran of Royal Ascot, and Slipstream, a More than ready colt, the two raced on that day in November at Del Mar. Twilight Gleaming beat the males in the Juvenile Sprint, while Slipstream finished sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G2T).
In the Palisades, Slipstream and jockey Joel Rosario start at the end of the yard of seven 3-year-olds, saving the ground in the ramp. Twilight Gleaming, a confirmed striker, swung his foot wide toward the “good” Keeneland midfield and Slipstream quickly shot past to win by three-quarters of the length.
It’s 5 and a half longer to Totally panicked in third place when Slipsteam completed the 5 1/2 stretch in 1:02.80.
Coach Wesley Ward removed blinks from Twilight Gleaming’s gear for the first time in her six-race career — a move he said he often does with his 3-year-olds. Her rider, Irad Ortiz Jr., said changing gear had no effect on her drifting out into the lane.
“She was always trying to drift a little bit in the stretch but I didn’t want to fight her,” Ortiz said. “I just let her be happy and kept riding and just getting caught. I could feel (Slipstream) coming, but I couldn’t fight my filth.”
Whatever the cause, Rosario was delighted with the outcome.
“I was a bit surprised,” he says of the interior layout. “But I like it when it happens.”
“He did well,” Rosario said of Slipstream’s performance. “The pace in front of him was fine and he got there when I asked him.”
Ben Colebrook, Slipstream driver for trainer Christophe Clement, said Rosario “looks like he’s loaded with horses. It’s just whether or not he’s going to get out, and as soon as you think so, it’s just that. opened up and he blew up through that hole.. It was impressive and Joel did a great job.”
The lingering question after moderate disappointment — Slipstream is second choice in the Palisades — is who will go next to Royal Ascot in June.
“We’ll decide after the next race,” Ward said of Twilight Gleaming. Ward was a pioneer for Americans to attend the Royal Meeting and would be more surprised if Twilight Gleaming didn’t attend than if she did.
Members of Jump Sucker Stable, owners of Slipstream, said they will wait to make a decision while celebrating Palisades’ win.
The Slipstream, bred in Kentucky by Burleson Ranch and McKenzie Bloodstock, took three attempts to find the winner’s circle but won big when he finally made it through on September 18 at Belmont Park, win by 5 length 1/2. Intern Christophe Clement went on from there to win the Futurity Stakes (G3) at the same track a week later before making his way to Del Mar.
Twilight Gleaming finished second on her four-and-a-half-goal debut at Keeneland in April 2021. Ward immediately moved her to grass, where she won at Belmont Park a month later. A runner-up attempt in the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot followed, followed by a victory at the Prix de la Vallee d’Auge at Deauville, over Breeders’ Cup.
Video: Palisades S. (BT)
