Witty, Hollywood Walk Score Stakes Victories At Colonial Downs originally appeared on Paulick Report.
Older turf sprinters clashed on Saturday at Colonial Downs in the $150,000 Van Clief and $150,000 Andy Guest, both going 5½ furlongs across a firm course.
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Flying late in the Van Clief, Elizabeth Merryman and Marc Detampel’s Witty rallied from the back of the pack to mow down his seven male rivals across the lawn and stop the clock in 1:02.52.
Piloted by Jaime Rodriguez, Witty outkicked Had to Have him in the final strides to win by a neck. Sent off at 3-1, Witty paid $8.00. Bred and trained by Elizabeth Merryman, the 6-year-old multiple stakes winner now has a lifetime bankroll of $897,782 from a record of 33-11-11-1.
In the Andy Guest, The Estate of R. Larry Johnson’s Hollywood Walk cut the corner through the turn and rallied up the rail to beat six fillies and mares by three-quarters of a length. Odds-on favorite Mrs. Gambolini ran wide to finish second.
Trained by the current meet leading conditioner Mike Trombetta, Hollywood Walk was piloted by Mychel Sanchez, whose perfect ride aboard the 2024 Camptown victress was the difference between first and second in Saturday’s Tyson Gilpin.
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“I’m really happy that we finally got the win because I’ve had a couple seconds and thirds with her,” Sanchez said. “She has got a lot of heart. She always gives you everything she has. She’s such a big mare–they do such a great job with her. I wanted to be on the rail right from the beginning because I knew (front-runner Bosserati) lugs out a little bit and I’d have room. I try to show up on days like this.”
Sent off at 8-1 odds, Hollywood Walk paid $19.00. Maryland-bred and Virginia-certified, the Larry Johnson homebred is a half sibling to Mindframe, one of the current leaders in the older male route division.
From 26 starts, Hollywood Walk tallies 6-4-8 with $482,731 in lifetime earnings.
This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared.