Long shot captures Picov Maturity at Ajax Downs
Published July 8, 2021 at 8:44 pm
Long shot Firing Red Jess captured his first Quarter Horse stakes win by a long nose in the $30,600 Picov Maturity for older horses at Ajax Downs Wednesday.
Day four of the 2021 Ajax Downs season had an extra buzz in the air as the track welcomed fans back for the first time since the fall of 2019, and those registered to be in attendance (and who plunked down a toonie on 21-1 Firing Red Jess) were treated to a thrilling race.
Trained by Scott Reid of Bowmanville and ridden by Josh Scott, the Ontario sired and bred Firing Red Jess chased even-money favourite Had to Be Ivory – the 2019 Ajax Downs Horse of the Year and two-time defending champ – early in the 300-yard race.
Had to Be Ivory and jockey Cory Spataro, breaking from post position one, was leading right before the finish before Firing Red Jess surged to steal the win. Country’s Comin Back finished a charging third. The time for the race of 15.302 was good for a hefty 98 speed index.
It was the first win of the 2021 Ajax Downs season for trainer Reid and jockey Scott, who recently won his first Thoroughbred race at Woodbine racetrack.
Bred by Guylaine Paquin and owned by George Coleman of Peterborough, the 6 year-old Firing Red Jess has now won seven of 27 races and earned more than $102,000.
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Earlier on the card, Spy for the Senate won the first leg of the QROOI Distance Series, worth $20,320. Owned by Burlington’s Milena Kwiecien and trained by Jason Pascoe, Spy for the Senate and jockey Ismael Mosquiera flew to a three-quarter length win in the 350-yard dash for his second win in as many starts in 2021.
The 5 year-old horse was winning for the 10th time in 31 career starts and he has earned more than $150,000.
Fans are invited to register at www.ajaxdowns.com to attend the races next Wednesday, July 14 with a first race post time of 1:30 p.m. Follow Ajax Downs on Twitter and Instagram @AjaxDowns and you can watch all the replays on the Ajax Downs’ YouTube Page.
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