By Bill Heller
Making his stakes debut a memorable one, Gary Barber, Pantofel Stable and Wachtel Stable’s seven-year-old gelding Clear Conscience and Jose Ortiz won a nose bob with Hush of a Storm and Flavien Prat in a scintillating renewal of the mile-and-a-sixteenth Kingston Stakes on grass Wednesday at Saratoga. Clear Conscience was sent off at odds of 10-1 and Hush of a Storm was the 8-5 favorite in the field of 10.
“We got lucky; we got the bob,” Clear Conscience’s trainer Mark Casse said.
Itsallcomintogetha, who went off at 3-1 odds from the rail under Jose Gomez, opened up a three-length lead but tired to finish third, three lengths behind Hush of a Storm.
Alan Quartucci and Sebastian Varney bred Clear Conscience, a son of Blame out of Blank State by Gio Ponti. Clear Conscience was nosed in a New York-bred allowance race under Dylan Davis in his last race.
Clear Conscience worked his way up to third as longshot Union Trail took the field through a half-mile in :48.09. Hush of a Storm was far back.
Itsallcomintogetha took over the lead before Clear Conscience moved up sharply. Meanwhile, Hush of a Storm was still far back, seventh in early stretch.
Clear Conscience struck the front until Hush of a Storm stormed up on the outside. Hush of a Storm surged just before the wire to lead by inches, but Clear Conscience got his nose down at the wire, winning in a final time of 1:41.30.
Clear Conscience is now three-of-13 on turf with four seconds and one third, good for earnings of $284,710. She was third in her lone dirt start and out of the money in one try on synthetic.
