Dashboard Drummer Pounds Home in Sapling

Dashboard Drummer made a sweeping move on the turn and ran down the front-runners in the stretch to capture the $100,000 Sapling Stakes (gr. III) at Monmouth Park on Saturday by 2 1/2 lengths.

The winner, trained by Allen Iwinski and ridden by Jose Ferrer, stopped the timer in 1:10 4/5 for six furlongs on a sloppy track. Deputy Storm, the 7-10 favorite who set fast fractions of :21 1/5 for the first quarter and :43 4/5 for the half, finished second with Joey Bravo aboard. Charming Jim, who challenged for the lead most of the way with Eibar Coa riding, finished third, three lengths behind the winner.

Dashboard Drummer, owned by Double S., Preferred Pals & E. Wachtel, is now unbeaten in three career races. The Oklahoma-bred gelded son of Alamocitos broke his maiden at Prairie Meadows in Iowa in May, and last time took the June 27 Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes there.

The owners acquired Dashboard Drummer after his first two starts for $200,000 and brought him East.

"I went out to Iowa to look at the horse," Iwinski said, "and at first I wasn't terribly impressed. Then I watched him train and I got excited. I didn't expect him to be that far back today, but I knew he'd be coming late."

Ferrer said, "They were really going fast out there. I was planning on just sitting off the pace, but they were going way too quick, so I was in back. At the half-mile pole I asked him for run and he just took off."

Iwinski indicated that the Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga on Aug. 30 is a possible next start for Dashboard Drummer.

The winner, the third choice in the field of seven, paid $10.80, $3.60 and $2.10 across the board. Deputy Storm returned $2.40 and $2.10. Charming Jim showed for $2.10.

(Chart, Equibase)