Maritime Pulpit Prevails in TFH Stakes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Keith Jones
kjones@parxracing.com

For Immediate Release: Saturday, June 24, 2017

MARITIME PULPIT DETERMINED WINNER OF TURNING FOR HOME STAKES

Monster Racing Stables’ Maritime Pulpit quickly went to the lead and then gamely held off the late charge of Zanotti to win the $100,000 Turning for Home Stakes by a neck Saturday afternoon at Parx. The race was the centerpiece of an afternoon dedicated to the Turning for Home program, the racing industries leader in finding and providing new homes and new careers, having now placed over 2,000 retired thoroughbred race horses.

Breaking from the inside gate in the field of ten, Maritime Pulpit, a 6 year-old gelded son of Pulpit, came out quickly and hustled to the front moving into the first turn. Winning jockey Angel Moreno increased that advantage rounding the first turn and moved to the backstretch with a solid two and a half length lead. Having run a quarter in 23.51 and a half in 47.10, Maritime Pulpit got the first hint of a challenge with just less than four furlongs to go when Clowney moved within a length off his outside flank, with Zanotti following now a close third while racing three wide. Clowney remained just outside of the leader the entire way around the far turn, but could not manage to close any more ground and as they neared the top of the stretch, he began to give way. Coming off the turn, Maritime Pulpit now had a length and a half lead but a fresh challenged loomed as Zanotti was beginning to close the gap.

Both horses were game and determined through the last furlong. On the inside, Maritime Pulpit dug in but Zanotti was slowly gaining. The lead was down to a length with a sixteenth to go and Zanotti was still coming. Maritime Pulpit, though, would simply not quit. Holding tough to the end, he held off that final surge of Zanotti to win by a hard fought neck.

Sent off as the 2-1 betting favorite, Maritime Pulpit, trained by Jorge Navarro, paid $6.80, 3.60 and 2.80. He was a $12,500 claim in mid-December and has now won three straight, including this, his first stakes win. Zanotti (5-2) was wide throughout most of the race, ran big to get second and paid 3.80 and 2.40. Battle Midway (5-1) never threatened the top two but out finished the rest for third and paid 3.00 to show. The final time for the mile and seventy yards on a track labeled fast was 1:43.81.