Spinning Colors improves Spa record in Mount Vernon; Clear Conscience wins tight photo in Kingston

Spinning Colors may not like doing what she’s told, but when she’s tasked with running on the turf at Saratoga Race Course, she typically delivers.

Wednesday, Spinning Colors improved her record over the Saratoga turf courses to 3-for-4 when she won the $200,000 Mount Vernon Stakes at 1 1/16 miles over the inner course. The 5-year-old mare entered the Mount Vernon off a seventh in the Sand Springs against open company at Gulfstream Park, a race in which she led the field through testing fractions that included a half-mile in :45.26. In the Mount Vernon, Spinning Colors led the field through a dawdling half in :50.33. Trainer Mark Hennig said that made a big difference.

“The pace helped her save a lot of that energy,” he said. “She tried hard last time in open company at Gulfstream. In spite of that pace, she still fought on. She gets a little bit of a break running against New York-breds and then, obviously, she loves Saratoga. This was her third win here.”

Spinning Colors took the field of 10 older fillies and mares gate to wire in the Mount Vernon under John Velazquez, setting a slow pace early and kicking on late to fend off the stretch runs by Silver Skillet and Awesome Czech, who finished second and third, respectively. Spinning Colors won the Mount Vernon by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:43.27.

“I nursed her along the best I could without taking too much hold of her,” Velazquez said. “After putting my hands down at the three-eighths pole, she was full of run. I hadn’t asked her to do anything, and she was very comfortable. After moving my hands a little bit, it was an instant response. Very nice.”

Hennig, who also co-owns the daughter of Hard Spun with Bourbon Lane Stable and HGS Thoroughbreds, remarked on what a difficult mare she can sometimes be to train.

“She’s not easy to do anything with, honestly,” Hennig said. “She’s a difficult filly, but she keeps herself fit because she’s athletic. Those kind are always easier. She dictates what we’re doing daily, basically. There are days we go out with the intent to gallop and she doesn’t gallop. Before she won the race at Gulfstream in February, the day she was going to work she got loose and went around the track twice. We didn’t end up getting to work her, but she worked herself that day.”

Despite the antics, Spinning Colors has won five of 14 starts and earned $362,210. Hennig said he’d likely bring Spinning Colors back to Saratoga at some point this summer.

“They’ve got another race here during the meet, but we’ll see,” he said. “They’ve got a decent program for the New York-bred fillies as the year goes on the turf, so we could keep her with her own kind, but I wouldn’t be opposed to trying her in open company in the right spot.”

Spinning Colors was bred by William Parsons Jr. and David Howe. She is out of the winning Elusive Quality mare Kaleidoscope, who has also produced multiple time winners Bartleby and Cartwheel. – Alec DiConza

• In the span of four weeks, owner Wachtel Stable’s Adam Wachtel experienced both ends of a tight photo with the same horse. On May 11, Clear Conscience lost an allowance-optional at Aqueduct by a nose after holding the lead mid-stretch. In Wednesday’s $200,000 Kingston Stakes, the 5-year-old gelding got involved in another nose finish, but this time, the son of Blame crossed the wire first.

“We did have a tough beat just the other day,” Wachtel said in the winner’s circle. “Better to win this one than that one, right?”

Wachtel privately purchased Clear Conscience during last year’s summer meet at Saratoga because he saw some potential in his past performances. He wasted no time, transferring the gelding to Mark Casse and winning an allowance race on Travers Day just weeks after the purchase. The Kingston victory is the second by Clear Conscience since the change in connections.

“I’m a Ragozin sheets person, and he had a great looking sheet,” Wachtel said about the decision to buy Clear Conscience. “He was very fast, and I thought he was maybe better than his results were. So, we’re very pleased and Mark has done a great job with him.”

In the Kingston, a 1 1/16-mile turf event for older New York-breds, Clear Conscience sat a stalking trip on the inside behind pacesetters Union Trail and Itsallcomintogetha. He switched outside turning for home under Jose Ortiz and mowed these leaders down before facing a menacing bid from favorite Hush of a Storm. Clear Conscience just held on to get the bob and win by a nose in 1:41.30.

“He’s a very good gate horse and we love that about him. He broke good and put me into a great position,” Ortiz said. “I was following the one horse, who was of course very live.”

The effort from Clear Conscience impressed Casse, who felt fortunate that the photo went his way this time.

“He showed some grit, because the other horse went by him and he battled back,” he said. “Jose said he thought he was beat. We did get lucky on the bob, but many times I don’t get lucky on the bob, so I’ll take it when I can get it.”

Wachtel, who co-owns Clear Conscience with Gary Barber and Pantofel Stable, said there’s a good chance his gelding will return to Saratoga for another stakes race this summer.

“As long as he’s healthy, he’ll definitely run back here,” he said. “There’s a New York-bred stakes in the middle of August. I’m sure we’ll point to that. He’s just a nice horse. We’ve got a lot of options with him.”

Clear Conscience was bred by Alan Quartucci and Sebastian Varney. He is the second foal out of the Gio Ponti mare Blank Slate, who has also produced the four-time winner Topic Changer and the recent maiden winner Cognoscenti. Clear Conscience is now a winner of three out of 15 starts with earnings of $294,988. – Alec DiConza

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/06/04/spinning-colors-improves-spa-record-in-mount-vernon-clear-conscience-wins-tight-photo-in-kingston/

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