Surprising Pocket Patch pockets a win at Clark Stakes
Charles McGill's Pocket Patch was the surprise winner of Saturday's feature at Pimlico Race Course, the $75,000 Henry S. Clark Stakes. Returning to the races after a six-month absence, the Flint Stites trainee broke alertly in the one-mile test, which was contested over the firm turf. With Jonathan Joyce at the controls, the Partner's Hero offspring tracked pace-setter Crimson Comic down the backstretch, forged to the lead heading into the turn and galloped home safely from there. Pocket Patch covered the distance in 1 minute, 40.04 seconds and won by 31/2 lengths. Safety Valve rallied to take second and Lonely Whistle finished third. The winner paid $22.40, the exacta returned $178.40 and the trifecta came back a whopping $2,001 with betting favorites Baletti and Ben's Cat finishing fourth and fifth. The last time Pocket Patch saw action was in the Maryland Million Turf under Joyce, where he was an impressive winner at odds of 6-1. "He responded well after the break," trainer Flint Stites said. "He ran just a huge race in the Maryland Million and needed time. By the time it was ready to come back, the turf was over so we went ahead and gave him the winter off. He has really matured. A couple years ago, he would have never been able to come off a layoff and performed like this." Stites and Joyce combined for three wins last week, also reaching the winner's circle in Thursday's opener (Unwavering Hope, $6.60) and Friday's fifth race (Calmafterthestorm, $40.20). Stites said he would consult with McGill to determine whether to run Pocket Patch in the $200,000 Dixie Stakes (Grade 2) on the Preakness undercard in three weeks. Saturday's score upped the six-year-old gelding's record to five victories and five second place finishes in 21 starts with earnings of $237,860. The upset, and another in the seventh race by 30-1 long shot Simple Songs, helped trigger a $26,295.88 carryover in the 50-cent Pimlico Pick 5. At the beginning of the spring meet, Pimlico officials scrapped the Pick 6 in favor of a Pick 5 (races 5-9), with a reduced takeout of 18 percent.
