NYRA/Adam Coglianese
The Lewis Dinner, a daughter of New York sire Posse (Rockridge Stud), romped by open lengths for the third time in a row in the $150,000 Fifth Avenue Division of the New York Stallion Stakes series, the first of paired NYSS sprint races for eligible New York-sired juveniles co-featured on Sunday’s card at Aqueduct.
A dominant winner of the Key Cents Stakes on November 16 at Belmont at the same six-furlong distance as the Fifth Avenue, The Lewis Dinner broke her maiden two races back in the mud at Belmont in her fourth career start. Coming into the Fifth Avenue she had won her two prior starts by seven-plus lengths combined.
Reunited with Key Cents jockey Manuel Franco and bet down to 30 cents on the dollar in the field of six, The Lewis Dinner broke a step slowly, but moved right up to challenge early leader Saluda, vying through a first quarter mile in 23.12.
Taking control of affairs in the far turn, The Lewis Dinner entered the upper stretch with a decisive lead. Widening her advantage for the length of the stretch and geared down before the wire, she finished a 4 3/4-length winner, stopping the clock at 1:12.46 after six furlongs over the fast going.
Maiden Kathy’s Humor closed from fourth between horses to capture the place spot in her second career start, and 3 1/2 lengths back early frontrunner Saluda won the photo for third over Omagoddonna. Longshot Shangala completed the order of the finish. [VIDEO]
Jockey Manuel Franco reported, “[The Lewis Dinner] took a bad step out the gate, but after that she took the lead pretty easy. She went well and I think she improved from last time out [in the Key Cents].”
NYRA/Joe Labozzetta
Gustavo Delgado, assistant Rudy Rodriguez who trains The Lewis Dinner for Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables LLC and Gary Aisquith, added, “We’ve always liked her. We thought she ran good; Manny didn’t ask her for much. She didn’t switch leads in the stretch, but Manny said he just left her alone because she was running so well. She was a little difficult to work with at the beginning [of her career], but she showed us she was good. As she keeps running, she gets calmer and better.”
The Lewis Dinner finished a close-up second in her Saratoga debut on July 18. She is now a dual stakes winner and has yet to finish off the board in six races. Her record stands at 3-2-1 with $229,500 in earnings.
Bred by James Lamonica, Lee Sacks, Soave Stables and Posse Syndicate and foaled on February 2, 2012 at Vinery NY at Empire Stud in Hudson, The Lewis Dinner is out of Nick’s Honor, an unraced daughter of Jump Start. Nick’s Honor has produced three winners from three to start, all earners of six figures and stakes performers. Her second foal Kelli Got Frosty by Frost Giant is also a stakes winner. Nick’s Honor has a yearling filly by D’ Funnybone, a weanling filly by Frost Giant and was bred this year to Tale of the Cat.
Changing hands twice at public auction, The Lewis Dinner was picked up by Eisaman Equine at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale for $50,000, and brought the same price when purchased by Dubb at OBS in April after breezing a furlong in 10.0 seconds in the under tack show. The filly was named by Michael Caruso, a partner of Bethlehem Stables and three-time wrestling champion at Lehigh University. The name commemorates the annual end-of-season team dinner begun in 1924 by Roy Lewis, a manager at Bethlehem Steel whose sons were members of the wrestling team.
