LAUREL, Md. – For a horse with so little experience, Pascaline has been through a great deal.
Bred in West Virginia, the Upstart colt was offered for sale twice at public auction in Kentucky. After being purchased for $40,000, he was exported to Europe, where he went through the sales ring earlier this year at Tattersalls in England.
Bought by prominent North American-based owner West Point Thoroughbreds for approximately $85,000, Pascaline returned to the United States and was transferred to trainer Arnaud Delacour.
After winning Saturday’s $150,000 Laurel Futurity for 2-year-olds at one mile, Pascaline is now unbeaten from two starts.
“Monster,” jockey Victor Carrasco said as he guided Pascaline into the winner’s circle.
Pascaline, entered for the main track only and fourth choice in the nine-horse field, traveled sweetly throughout. Carrasco perched the colt three wide just behind pacesetters Notmyfirstrodeo and Kitty’s Son as they sparred through splits of 23.72 and 47.68 over the good track.
Carrasco pushed the button after six furlongs in 1:13.71, and Pascaline immediately responded. He burst to the front in the opening stages of the long Laurel Park stretch, then held firm to defeat Grade 3-placed stakes-winner Studlydoright by two lengths in 1:38.87. Just a Fair Shake placed another head behind.
Reggie Runs Rogue, Surfside Moon, Kitty’s Son, Hard Circle, Notmyfirstrodeo, and Gotta Have a Guy completed the order of finish.
Stormy Flight, Soleil Volant, Academy, Just Too Fly, and Lazlo scratched.
Pascaline paid $10 to win.
A half-brother to multiple stakes-winner Social Chic, Pascaline showed professionalism by rallying from off the pace and splitting horses to win his debut, a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special at Colonial on Aug. 24.
“I told Victor I quite liked him. No matter what, make sure you teach him something,” Delacour said about the first start. “I didn’t want him to get him out of there, and be in front, and start looking around. Get him in the kickback, and he did it great. It’s so nice when they can learn something.”
Pascaline handled the Laurel Futurity’s extra distance with aplomb.
“I was pretty confident we could stretch to the mile,” Delacour continued. “It’s a testing mile here because it’s one turn, but he did everything right. He moved a little early and started looking around a bit. It was the first time he’s exposed to that. All things considering, he did everything right.”
Bred by James Franklin Miller, Pascaline is owned by West Point, Jimmy Kahig Racing, CJ Stables, and Edwin Barker, and joins an impressive list of prior Laurel Futurity winners that include Count Fleet, Citation, Secretariat, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, and Barbaro.
All three of Laurel’s scheduled stakes races on Saturday were transferred from turf to dirt after heavy rains earlier in the week rendered the grass course unusable. The Laurel Futurity was originally scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf.
