Tempest Fugit Dictates Pace, Wins Campbell

(from track report),
Dennis Drazin's Tempest Fugit stole an easy lead, dictated his own pace and then had enough left to out-finish his closest pursuer, Quiet Gratitude, to win the $100,000 John B. Campbell Handicap at Laurel Park.

Under the skillful handling of jockey Jose Caraballo, Tempest Fugit was able to complete the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:49 4/5 over a slowly drying racetrack that was rated good. Longshot Quiet Gratitude pushed the pacesetter throughout and gallantly earned the place. Lyracist was third.

"I thought I would be pressured," Caraballo said. "Nobody went to challenge me, so I slowed it down. He was very relaxed and when I asked for a response he did it on his own."

Winning trainer Jason Servis said he was happy that most of the rival speed in the race had been withdrawn.

"Mr. (trainer John) Robb scratched two of the speed horses in his entry so I thought we would have the lead," he said. "Jose did the rest. He's not that sound a horse. You can see that by the gaps in his races. The owner has been patient and this horse has been terrific."

Eight-year-old P Day, the 5-2 favorite, lost a front shoe on the backside and finishing next to last, 10 lengths behind the winner.

"He didn't seem to get a hold of the track too well," said jockey Ryan Fogelsonger, who guided the popular Maryland-bred to back-to-back stakes victories at Laurel going into Sunday's race. "They went awfully slow out front for a race of this caliber so that didn't help either when you get caught way back. But he is P Day and he'll come back and fire again."

Fogelsonger rode three winners on the 10-race card and leads the standings with 53 victories. Ramon Dominguez won 10 of 21 mounts this week to cut Fogelsonger's lead to six after eights weeks of the winter meet. Five weeks remain in the stand before racing shifts to Pimlico for the spring meet.

Tempest Fugit, a 6-year-old Florida-bred gelding by Unaccounted For, paid $9.60 while winning for the 10th time in 30 starts and pushing his career earnings to about $450,000. The two longshots made for an attractive trifecta payout of $2,260.80.

(Chart, Equibase)