Surprises abound in Mix Signals(FR) Stakes

Once again, trainers and their horses had a good laugh at this reporter’s expense, with a pair of outsiders stiking gold in this week’s Mixed Signals(FR) Stakes.  Noe Valley(KY) put on a burst late in the stretch to to scamper to a one length victory, posting a modest 70.17 speed figure.  The daughter of More Than Ready notched her first victory since her maiden debut, giving her $43160 in career earnings, victories on both surfaces, and a first win at stakes.  Those stakes points jumped her way up in the juvenile filly rankings, as well, propelling her to a ranking of 26 among turf sprinters with the win.  Along with the trainers, handicappers were laughing all the way to the windows, with the two longest shots in the field combining for the exacta. The winner paid $7.30 $3.60 $2.10 across the board.  The exotics were the highlight of the day, with the exacta paying $177.20 and a nice $481.20 payout in the trifecta.

With her most likely competition stymied by the softer surface and a more leisurely than normal break, longshot No Me Gusta surge quickly into the lead.  Noe Valley and Downtown Bimbo settled just off the pace to bide their time.  She sprinted out to a length ahead of the field by first call, which she expanded to a length and a half by the halfway post.  As they headed into the second half, Noe Valley began to make a move, slowly gaining ground on the leader, while Downtown Bimbo couldn’t muster any jump, holding steady at a length and a half out as they drove into the stretch.  No Me Gusta hung on gamely deep into the stretch, but Noe Valley wasn’t to be denied, passing the leader deep in the stretch and opening up a length by the time the crossed the wire.  Longshot No Me Gusta settled for second, justifying her trainer’s faith with the run of her career.  Downtown Bimbo, dropping over ten speed points on the grass took third place honors, two and a quarter out at the wire.