Where Paradise Lay Takes Stakes Debut in $75,000 Star de Naskra

LAUREL, MD – Where Paradise Lay Takes Stakes Debut in $75,000 Star de Naskra

Sagamore Farms homebred Where Paradise Lay, a winner over older horses earlier this year, returned to his own age group to turn away favored Distant Shore and hold off Tappin Cat and Hall Pass in the $75,000 Star de Naskra.

The Star de Naskra marked the stakes debut for Where Paradise Lay ($5.60), who completed the distance in 1:10.69. It was a half-length back to Tappin Cat in second, with Hall Pass third by another half. Distant Shore wound up fourth.

Sent off at 22-1 under Xavier Perez, Great Herman was quickest out of the gate from the rail post and took the field through a 22.85-second first quarter with Sky Magician to his outside. Where Paradise Lay sat behind in third, hemmed in by Trevor McCarthy and Distant Shore on their outside.

Great Herman began to drop back around the far turn, opening enough space for Where Paradise Lay to get through and be engaged by Distant Shore. After a brief tussle, Where Paradise Lay edged clear and had enough left to hold off the late comers.

“I just had to sit and be patient, and when Xavier dropped away, I got a dream trip through,” Lynch said. “Trevor had me in a good spot. He had me tight, but when the gap came, I was in a better spot.”

Where Paradise Lay, by Into Mischief and trained by Stanley Hough, is out of the mare Walkwithapurpose, also owned and bred by Sagamore. Walkwithapurpose won five of seven starts and nearly $300,000 in purses in 2012-13, including the Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship, Wide Country and Caesar’s Wish stakes at Laurel.

“Our team works so hard every day,” Sagamore chief of staff Jocelyn Brooks said, “and to have not just a homebred but a second generation homebred follow in his mom’s footsteps and win big here at Laurel, on Maryland Pride Day, probably a team that has as much pride as anybody in Maryland coming right from our owner. We’re so proud of him and of our entire team and Stan Hough and the job he did getting him ready. It’s just a huge day for us.”

The Star de Naskra is named in honor of the 1979 champion sprinter bred and owned by Carlyle Lancaster. He had a record of 15-10-4 and purse earnings of more than $580,000 from 36 starts between 1977-79, winning eight stakes and three graded-stakes, the latter during his championship season.