Goldencents filly threads needle to win Audubon Oaks

Positano Sunset earned her first stakes victory Sunday at Ellis Park in the $150,000 Audubon Oaks with a daring midstretch move by jockey Chris Landeros.

The one-length win was the first stakes tally for the 3-year-old daughter of Goldencents, who now has 16 stakes horses this year. A perennial leading sire among his peers, Goldencents leads the 2023 Sixth-Crop Sire list by stakes horses, winners, with 122, and wins with 162.

Positano Sunset, who had been away from the races since early April, was unhurried early, sitting in seventh position through the first half-mile. She began her run midway through the turn, gaining up the inside as the field entered the homestretch. When a narrow opening between horses appeared with a furlong to run, she shot through and took command swiftly to win going away in 1:23.46 on a fast main track.

“Everything just worked out nice; I just bought my time,: said winning rider Chris Landeros. “For a second I just had to make a decision if we were going to go the overland route and stay inside. My gut was telling me to stay inside the whole way. I knew they were clipping along pretty quick. Just had to bide our time, and I knew if I could get through we’d be pretty tough.”

Positano Sunset is now 3-1-0 in seven starts and has earned $252,003 for the ownership group of Six Column Stables, LLC, Randall Bloch, John Seiler and David Hall. The bay filly was bred by Seiler, Bloch, Hall, along with Trish Henson and Brad Stephens.