A well-spotted charge by jockey Joel Rosario got Civil Union to the wire when she needed it to prevail in Saturday's Grade 2 Glens Falls Stakes at Saratoga.
The 5-year-old War Front mare stayed tucked in on the rail from the inside post, while Beau Belle took command early on from her immediate outside, followed by Lovely Lucky. Luis Saez kept a tight hold on Beau Belle as the field entered the stretch for the first time in an opening quarter-mile of :26.76 seconds.
The three horses that led the pack heading into the stretch remained in the same positions heading out of it, with Beau Belle continuing to maintain an unhurried pace after they cleared a half-mile in :53.22 seconds. Rosario continued to keep Civil Union within striking distance in the pocket behind the two leaders, and he continued to wait patiently as the field entered the final turn through a mile in 1:44.61.
Beau Belle and Lovely Lucky began to put some separation on the rest of the field in the final bend, with Lovely Lucky and Jose Lezcano beginning to lodge her own challenge in earnest. Those two drew even heading into the straightaway, which left the space behind them open for Rosario to take Civil Union off the rail and three-wide.
While Beau Belle and Lovely battled up front in the final eighth of a mile, Civil Union gradually gained ground on the outside, while a pair of French-bred Peter Brant-owned horses began to stage threats of their own – Eliade on the rail and post time favorite My Sister Nat on the far outside. After setting all of the pace, the lead duo could not withstand the momentum of the late movers, and Civil Union took command within the final sixteenth, drawing clear a few strides before the wire to win by a length.
My Sister Nat joined Civil Union's outside momentum to finish second, while Beau Belle hung on bravely to finish third, ahead of fellow front-runner Lovely Lucky in fourth.
Civil Union completed the 1 3/8-mile turf race in 2:19.80 over Saratoga's firm inner turf course. She paid $6.50 to win as the field's second choice, and the win marked her first paring with Rosario in the saddle.
The winner raced as a homebred for Joseph Allen, and she was trained by Shug McGaughey.
Civil Union is a generational home-grown winner for Allen, who bred her dam, the unraced Unbridled's Song mare Photograph, campaigned second dam Black Speck as a homebred, and raced her third dam the Grade 1 winner Andover Way.
On the sire's side, War Front also raced as an Allen homebred, and has developed into one of North America's top commercial sires. He also campaigned War Front's dam, Starry Dreamer.
With Saturday's victory, Civil Union improved her lifetime record to four wins in seven career starts, with earnings of $451,672. This is her first career graded stakes victory, and her second overall stakes win, having come into a race off a victory in the listed River Memories Stakes at Belmont Park.
To view the race's chart, click here.
G2 Glens Falls Quotes – Courtesy of the NYRA Press Office
Shug McGaughey, winning trainer of Civil Union (No. 1, $6.50): “I think she can run all day. When she won the River Memories [July 12 at Belmont], she really punched hard from the eighth pole to the wire and she did the same thing today. It looks like when you ask her to go on and finish, she has it in her.
“I liked where we were behind the slow pace. I have a lot of confidence in Joel and I knew he knew where he was.
“She's trained very well since the end of Belmont and I thought she'd run well today. I was a little worried about the turf, but [it worked out]. I had a filly a few years ago named Apple Betty and she won the River Memories and I ran her back in the Waya and she finished fourth, so I said I wasn't going to do that with this filly. She's trained very well the whole time we've been up here.
Joel Rosario, winning jockey aboard Civil Union (No. 1): “She was moving really well but she took a little time coming out of the last turn and getting a hold of the turf. But as soon as I straightened her out, she was moving forward and from that point I was really confident.
“It was a slow pace but I was right there and just trying to keep my position. I knew the horses in front were going very easy and I thought with the slow pace they might keep going, but I was there. My horse was right there and she made everything easy for me.”
Jose Ortiz, jockey aboard runner-up My Sister Nat (No. 4): “She's got no speed at all. She broke a little weird and there was nothing I could do. The pace was very slow. I knew Tommy's [trainer Albertrani] horses [No. 2, Beau Belle; and No. 3. Lovely Lucky] both had speed. I couldn't really make a middle move, so I saved as much ground as I could and she gave me a great run turning for home.”
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