HALLANDALE BEACH - Mattingly followed up a promising runner-up finish in the May 13 Royal Palm Juvenile Turf with a thoroughly professional and dominating victory Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

    The Joe Orseno-trained son of Bucchero broke alertly from the rail post position, a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight test for 2-year-olds on Tapeta, shook off early pressure applied by 2-1 second choice Zingales King, before drawing away to a 5 ¾ -length victory under Edgar Perez.

    Mattingly was sent to post as the 2-5 favorite on the strength of his most promising debut, in which he pressed the early pace set by eventual winner No Nay Mets before settling for a solid second-place finish in the five-furlong Royal Palm Juvenile Turf.

     “He’s a nice horse. I waited for this race. I could have run him against Florida-breds earlier, but I’m glad I waited,” Orseno said. “I’m very happy with his race today.”

    Mattingly, who is owned by Ironhorse Stable and Harlow Stables, ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:04.38. Titan finished second, 6 ¾ lengths ahead of Zingales King.

  Orseno’s next target for Mattingly is the July 30 Tyro, a five-furlong turf dash, at Monmouth Park. “We know he likes turf,” Orseno said. “It looks like a good race for him.”

    Orseno also saddled Hot Foot Susie for a victory in Race 5 to close within eight wins of the 1,000-win milestone.

Lightning Tones Rallies from Last to win Carry Back

   Trainer Dan Hurtak’s Lightning Tones had nearly lost contact with the field along the backstretch before launching a furious rally in deep stretch to pull off a 28-1 upset victory in the $75,000 Carry Back.

    The son of Tonalist dropped back right out of the starting gate as multiple stakes-winner Super Chow, the even-money favorite ridden by Emisael Jaramillo, shot to lead in the backstretch run of the seven-furlong stakes for 3-year-olds.

    Super Chow set fractions of :21.81 and :44.27 and held a clear lead into the stretch, pursued by Khozeiress, Zydeceaux, and Swirvin, with Lightning Tones still seemingly well out of contention. Super Chow began to shorten stride in mid-stretch as Khozeiress loomed as the likely winner approaching the finish, only to have Lightning Tones suddenly appear on the far outside just in the nick of time to score an unlikely victory by a nose.

     “I had no expectations, but I never gave up,” jockey Marco Meneses said. “There was so much speed, I just relaxed my horse and at the three-eighths [pole] he just flew.”

    Claimed for $12,500 two starts back, Lightning Tones ran seven furlongs in 1:23.18 for his third victory in 10 career starts. Khozeiress finished three-quarters of a length ahead of third-place finisher Super Chow.

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