PURE JUSTICE ROMPS IN EMERALD NECKLACE
PURE JUSTICE ROMPS IN EMERALD NECKLACE STAKES AT JACK THISTLEDOWN RACINO
Trainer Gary Patrick Ships in to Notch Career Wins 2,000 and 2,001
Pure Justice came from off the pace to win the $75,000 Emerald Necklace Stakes Saturday at JACK Thistledown Racino, drawing away down the center of the track to win the six furlong race for 2-year-old fillies by 6-3/4 lengths.
The Emerald Necklace was the 2,001st win of Gary Patrick’s training career. Two races earlier, his 4-year-old filly Sashenka set all the pace to win the sixth race for the milestone 2,000th win. Patrick owns as well as trains both fillies.
“My wife (Cindy) and I are so happy,” said Patrick. “It’s been tough, and it’s been fun. I remember when we hit a thousand and nobody said anything. The next thing I knew, we hit twelve hundred, and I told Cindy, ‘If we try really hard, and we have good luck and good horses, we might get to two thousand.’ And here we are.”
Pure Justice was fourth early in the Emerald Necklace behind the 22.40 and 47.06 pace set by Linda N Michelle. Winning jockey Edgar Paucar swung Pure Justice out entering the stretch, took the lead at the eighth pole and dominated to the wire. First-time starter Silky Tassels, by Ohio Freshman Sire Kettle Corn, closed for second, getting past fellow firster No Truer by half a length.
“I was in shock to see (Pure Justice) way back going down the backside,” Patrick said. “I thought she would be closer. But they were going pretty fast and (Paucar) had plenty of horse down the lane. She had plenty left in the gas tank. The jockey rode a perfect race.”
Fourth and following were Birdacious, Linda N Michelle, Mandi’s Pride, Circle Will Run, Jigs a Rollin and Way Back When.
Pure Justice completed the six furlongs in 1:14.02 over a fast track and paid $3.60, $2.60 and $2.10 as the 4-5 favorite.
The leading earner for Ohio Freshman Sire Twinspired, Pure Justice is out of Corner Girl, by Is It True. She was bred in Ohio by Justice Farm and Greg Justice. The Emerald Necklace is her first stakes win, boosting her record to two wins and one second from five starts for earnings of $66,580.
The all-time leading trainer at Indiana Grand since Indiana began pari-mutuel racing in 1995, Patrick has been training without interruption since 1968. His record also includes 2,121 seconds and 2,192 thirds, and his purse earnings stand at more than $16 million. In addition to Pure Justice, his recent top horses include stakes winners Mo Money, who won the Crown Ambassador Stakes at Indiana Grand earlier this month, Short Round, Justice for Themob, Daddy Justice and Country Minister. A native of Circleville, Ohio, Patrick has raced throughout the Midwest and Florida.
The Patricks run a family stable, owning and racing only their own horses. They currently have 45 to 50 in training, divided between Indiana Grand and their Indiana farm. The family maintains a broodmare band on the farm and also owns a second farm and training track in Florida.
Twinspired (Harlan’s Holiday) stands at Poplar Creek Horse Center in Bethel and Kettle Corn (Candy Ride) stands at Fair Winds Farm in Waynesville.
