Long Neck Paula Doubles Up In Bowman Mill

It was back-to-back stakes victories for Long Neck Paula (2f Uncle Mo x Take Charge Paula, by Take Charge Indy), who beat males in Saturday’s Bowman Mill Stakes.

It was a patient ride by Junior Alvarado in the six-furlong dirt race when allowing his mount to stalk the pace. Long Neck Paula was a clear second a little over a length behind an eager leader and bided her time until the stretch.

Steadily closing the distance into the stretch, she caught him in the final furlong and had the advantage in the final sixteenth. A late runner tried to take the win from her, but Long Neck Paula held sway by half a length with the third placed runner nearly four lengths behind at the end.

“I was very happy where I was sitting with my filly. She was very good. By the time we hit the five-sixteenths pole I knew she was ready and we started picking it up little by little. I knew I had enough horse, and she held on all the way to the wire,” said Alvarado.

Trained by Wesley Ward for Will Stroud and Debra O’Connor, the WinStar Farm-bred was a $325,000 Keeneland September Yearling before bringing $500,000 this year as a 2-year-old.

The filly is out of the Grade III winner and multiple Grade II-placed Take Charge Paula, who has produced two winners from three to race. Take Charge Paula is one of two stakes performers out of her own dam.

Long Neck Paula is one of two juvenile stakes winners for her sire this year with the stallion seeing four of his 2-year-olds earn blacktype in 2024.