Former Downs regular Jeff Gregory was again behind the favorite For A Dancer ($3.40) in Friday’s sixth session as the bay daughter of Conway Hall-Fluttering Wings followed Borrow And Spend off the starting gate, took the lead before the half, reached in :57.4, and continued on to a two-length tally over the closing Fortunista.
It was the 12th score (coupled with a second and a
third-place finish) in 15 lifetime starts for the
career-winner of $436,879, who is trained by Joe Holloway
and owned by the Bluestone Farms. She trimmed one-fifth of a
second off the former 1:54.1 Vernon standard for her class,
which was set by George Steinbrenner’s Personal Banner in
the 1996 Breeders Crown final.
The black son of Credit Winner-Michelle’s
Angel was eased off the gate in fourth place
by driver Jim Morrill, Jr., took the lead
with a sweeping overland move in the second
quarter, and, when challenged by the
pocket-sitting Coraggioso in the final
furlong, accelerated to a 1-3/4 length
triumph. The time clipped 3/5ths-of-a-second off
the previous Downs standard that Archangel
has posted with an elimination tally here on
June 1. The career winner of $288,701 now
sports seven scores in 18 lifetime outings
for part-owner/trainer Peter Arrigenna and
his partners, Alan C. Hainsworth and Clare
M. Semer.
Archangel ($3.10), who has collected three
of his four straight victories over Vernon’s
7/8ths-mile oval, improved his current
record to four wins and a second-place
finish in five starts with a
lifetime-fastest 1:53.1 showing in race nine.