Speightstown added Island Bound to his impressive roster of stakes winners when the 5-year-old mare rallied late to win the Grade 3, $110,100 Winning Colors S. by 1 ¼ lengths over Beat the Blues at Churchill Downs. The winner is one of eight stakes winners in 2012 by his sire, who ranks fifth on this year’s General Sire list.
In the six furlong Winning Colors, Island Bound was allowed to settle as Honey Chile, Page Springs and 2-1 favorite Good Deed disputed the pace in the early stages through fractions of :21.61 and :45.05. Island Bound went six-wide around the front-runners entering the stretch, eventually wearing them down to forge ahead at the furlong marker. She stopped the timer on a main track rated fast in 1:09.89.
“This filly has really improved over the year. Her last race (Apr. 14, 2nd in the $200,000 Sugar Maple S.) was very good and she had been training well since then,” said winning trainer Ian Wilkes. “I’m very happy for (owner) Bob Manfuso. He’s a tremendous guy and I’m so happy he was able to get this graded stakes win.”
Island Bound, who is out of the stakes-place mare Indy Mood for Luv, was bred in Kentucky by Nursery Place. The mare is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Savorthetime, who earned $605,356, and Rogue Romance, winner of the Grade 3 Bourbon S. at Keeneland.
Island Bound won for the fifth time in 20 career starts. The $66,215 winner’s share of the purse bumped her career earnings to $213,238. She has finished first or second in each of her six starts this year, with three victories.
