Luna Time, making her first stakes score a graded one in just her second start of the year, got the jump on favored Joint Return and upset the $100,000 Obeah Stakes (gr. III) at odds of 15-1 June 20 at Delaware Park. ()
The 4-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon hadn't raced for trainer Graham Motion since a third-place effort in the Feb. 14 Maryland Racing Media Stakes at Laurel Park in her only start of 2015 before the 1 1/8-mile Obeah. But jockey Forest Boyce confidently handled the Dorsey Brown and Richard Palmer homebred from near the back of a 10-horse field, swinging up after three-quarters to take charge off the final turn.
Luna Time won by three lengths in 1:49.58 over fast-closing 5-2 choice Joint Return, who finished with a good kick but was too late to reach the winner. Montana Native was third after tracking a slow pace set by longshot Natalie Victoria, who went the quarter in :24.43 and the half in :49.51 before folding after three-quarters in 1:13.24. Fortune Pearl, also trained by Motion, ran fourth.
Luna Time returned $32.80, $11.20, and $6.40 while Joint Return brought $5.20 and $3.20 with Montana Native paying $5.20. Blue Violet, Another Incident, Natalie Victoria, Perique, Sea Shadow, and South Andros completed the order of finish. Amblin Easy scratched.
Bred in Maryland out of the High Yield mare High Moment, Luna Time improved her record to 4-1-1 from nine outings for earnings of $195,073.
