Month: December 2020

Duopoly Ships West For Brown, Wires American Oaks Field

Trainer Chad Brown-trained Duopoly made it look easy on Saturday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as she waltzed to a front-running two-length tally going 1 1/4 miles on turf in the Grade 1, $300,000 American Oaks.  Ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat, Duopoly stopped the clock at 2:01.61. on firm turf.

With a hillside start, Duopoly made the lead out of the gate effortlessly and while under a stout hold, enjoyed a length and a half advantage over favored Sharing as the field crossed under the wire for the first time.  With Sharing applying pressure heading to the far turn, Prat let out a notch and from the top of the stretch home, Duopoly unfurled a genuinely Grade 1 charge to the wire in an emphatic win.

“I thought on the backside someone was going to hook up with me but lucky enough nobody did. We had a pretty nice trip,” said Prat. “She was full of herself and traveling perfect. When I asked her she really kicked in. She never really ran the distance but I guess Chad Brown doesn't come down here just to race.”

An ungraded gate to wire stakes winner at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Aqueduct Nov. 15, Duopoly was off at 6-1 in a field of 10 sophomore fillies and paid $14.00, $7.60 and $4.60.

By Animal Kingdom out of the Danehill Dancer mare Justaroundmidnight, Duopoly, who is owned by Klaravich Stables, LLC, notched her first Grade 1 victory and registered her fourth win from six starts.  With the winner's share of $180,000, she increased her earnings to $308,034.

Ridden by Mario Gutierrez, the Richard Baltas-trained Going to Vegas out-finished Sharing by three quarters of a length for second money.  Off at 14-1, she paid $14.00 and $7.00.

Ridden by John Velazquez for Graham Motion, Sharing, off at 8-5, had no apparent excuses and paid $3.00 to show.

Fractions on the race were 24.91, 49.67, 1:14.89 and 1:38.98.

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Fair Maiden Rallies In La Brea, Giving Jockey Ricky Gonzalez First Grade 1 Win

In a streak of Godolphin Blue, the Eoin Harty-trained Fair Maiden blew by her competition late to take Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 La Brea Stakes by 2 ¼ lengths under upstart Ricky Gonzalez.  Fair Maiden, in her eighth career start, got seven furlongs in 1:22.69 on the Santa Anita main track in Arcadia, Calif.

Breaking from post position nine in a field of 10 sophomore fillies, Fair Maiden was mid-pack, about three lengths off the lead approaching the top of the lane while following the Bob Baffert-trained Golden Principal.  From there, Fair Maiden, who was six-deep off the turn, easily reeled in Golden Principal for an impressive victory, which provided Gonzalez with his first-ever Grade 1 triumph.

“Eoin (Harty) said she was doing really really well, to just put her in the race,” Gonzalez said. “There were quite a few speeds. 'Just put her in the race get her clear and get her to the outside.' We hit the stretch and as soon as we hit the stretch she went on the outside and was just full of run.

On recording his first Grade 1 victory, Gonzalez said, “I was just so happy and excited, to just ride these kinds of horses, it feels great. I'm very thankful to Eoin and all the trainers for all the opportunities.”

Most recently fourth in an ungraded six furlong stakes at Keeneland Nov. 7, Fair Maiden was off at 20-1 and paid $43.20, $18.60 and $10.00.

Owned and bred by Godolphin, LLC in Kentucky, Fair Maiden is by Street Boss out of the Smart Strike mare Shieldmaiden.  A minor stakes winner on turf in her third career start at Woodbine in August 2019, Fair Maiden collected her first graded stakes win on Saturday and improved her overall mark to 8-4-1-1.  With the winner's share of $180,000, she increased her earnings to $321,278.

One of four Baffert trainees in the field, Golden Principal was off at 12-1 and paid $13.60 and $7.40 while finishing 1 ½ lengths in front of her stablemate Merneith.

Ridden by John Velazquez, Merneith was the second choice in the betting at 7-2 and paid $4.00 to show while finishing three quarters of length in front of post time favorite Finite, who is trained by Steve Asmussen.

Fractions on the race were 21.88, 44.59 and 1:09.92.

“It's just the way the things pan out when you get to that number two level. It's hard to find a race against really competitive company,” Harty said, when asked why he switched  from synthetic surfaces and turf to dirt this year. “I didn't want to keep taking her up to Woodbine so I found a spot in Churchill (winning a six-furlong allowance race) and that was a big question mark as to whether she would handle it there and she did. She was super professional that day and gave me a lot of confidence in bringing her out here for this.

“I've been watching Ricky ride since he came down here, and I think he's the next superstar. He's brave and he puts his horse in a spot to win. I grab him in every time I can because I think he's a world-class rider, and today was his first Grade 1 win.”

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Duopoly Goes Wire-to-Wire in American Oaks

Having sent out Klaravich Stable’s Competitionofideas (Speightstown) to win his first GI American Oaks two years ago, trainer Chad Brown was back at it again Saturday afternoon, as Klaravich’s Duopoly (Animal Kingdom) was given a beautifully rated ride from the front by Frenchman Flavien Prat and had plenty left late to post a mild upset at odds of 6-1. Going to Vegas (Goldencents) stayed on gamely for second ahead of favored ‘TDN Rising Star’ Sharing (Speightstown), who just earned a photo for third.

Duopoly appeared the speed of the field and so it proved, as Prat kicked her straight into the lead as they raced down the hill, but John Velazquez was content on keeping Sharing closer to whatever pace eventuated. Duopoly switched off nicely through opening splits of :24.91 and :49.67, but the same could not be said for Sharing, who wanted to overrace and pulled hard through the middle stages. Prat managed to slacken the pace further still over the next internal quarter-mile (:25.22) and looked to have the race at his mercy turning for home. Duopoly, unsurprisingly, had plenty left to give and sprinted her final two furlongs in :22.63 en route to a reasonably easy victory.

“I thought on the backside someone was going to hook up with me, but lucky enough nobody did,” said Prat. “We had a pretty nice trip. She was full of herself and travelling perfect. When I asked her she really kicked in.”

Duopoly wired a field of Monmouth maidens to graduate second time out July 2 and repeated the dose in Saratoga allowance company Aug. 21, but was unable to find the front as the favorite in the Oct. 16 GIII Pin Oak Valley View S. at Keeneland and weakened to be fifth. She was back to her pacesetting ways in the Nov. 15 Winter Memories S. at Aqueduct, defeating Saturday’s Tropical Park Oaks winner Vigilantes Way (Medaglia d’Oro) into third.

Pedigree Notes:

Duopoly is the third top-level and seventh graded/group winner for the expatriated Animal Kingdom and the sire’s second Grade I winner this term, joining Jaipur S. heroine Oleksandra (Aus). Justaroundmidnight is the dam of a 2-year-old colt by Quality Road and a yearling Kitten’s Joy colt that fetched $275,000 at this year’s Keeneland September sale that has since been exported to England. The mare was barren to Kitten’s Joy’s son Oscar Performance for 2020 and was returned to that stallion this past season.

Saturday, Santa Anita
AMERICAN OAKS-GI, $302,500, Santa Anita, 12-26, 3yo, f, 1 1/4mT, 2:01.61, fm.
1–DUOPOLY, 124, f, 3, by Animal Kingdom
1st Dam: Justaroundmidnight (Ire) (GSW, $161,948), by
Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Strategy (GB), by Machiavellian
3rd Dam: Island Story (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($160,000 Ylg
’18 KEESEP). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Jamm, Ltd. (KY);
T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $180,000. Lifetime Record:
6-4-0-0, $308,034. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Going to Vegas, 124, f, 3, by Goldencents
1st Dam: Hard to Resist (SW, $284,538), by Johannesburg
2nd Dam: Anja, by Gulch
3rd Dam: Knoosh, by Storm Bird
O-Harry Bederian, Harout Kamberian, Hagop Nakkashian &
Richard Baltas; B-J. Kirk & Judy Robison (KY); T-Richard Baltas.
$60,000.
3–Sharing, 124, f, 3, by Speightstown
1st Dam: Shared Account (GISW, $1,649,427), by Pleasantly Perfect
2nd Dam: Silk n’ Sapphire, by Smart Strike
3rd Dam: Golden Tiy, by Dixieland Band
($350,000 Ylg ’18 FTSAUG). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners
& Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck); B-Sagamore Farm (MD);
T-H. Graham Motion. $36,000.
Margins: 2, 3/4, NO. Odds: 6.00, 14.80, 1.60.
Also Ran: Red Lark (Ire), Capital Structure (GB), Luck Money, Miss Addie Pray, Neige Blanche (Fr), California Kook, Guitty (Fr).
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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