By Blood-Horse Staff
WinStar Stablemates Racing’s Paris Lights capped her sophomore campaign with a graded stakes score and made her anticipated 4-year-old bow with similar success, running down Portal Creek in the final jumps to capture the April 2 $150,000 Distaff Handicap (G3) by a half-length at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Paris Lights was last in action nearly nine months prior, when she tracked in second position before edging Crystal Ball by a head to win the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) in July at Saratoga Race Course.
Off the respite, Paris Lights utilized a similar trip in the Distaff, breaking sharp from post 4 under jockey Junior Alvarado and sitting in second position behind pacesetter Portal Creek, who led the compact five-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in :24.04 seconds and the half in :48.28 on the fast main track.
Kendrick Carmouche kept Portal Creek to the inside out of the turn, with Paris Lights tenaciously attempting to overtake her from the outside. The duo linked up in the stretch, with Portal Creek initially repelling her rival’s initial charge before Paris Lights regained command in the final sixteenth, hitting the wire in 1:26.99 for the seven furlongs.
Honor Way was another neck back in third. Kansas Kis and Lady Kate completed the order of finish.
The trainee of Hall of Famer Bill Mott won for the fourth time in five career starts and fourth straight following a third-place debut effort in April 2020 at Gulfstream Park.
. . .
Read the full article here.