Under a perfectly timed ride from Antonio Gallardo, Mission of Joy rallied resolutely from off the pace and dug in late to prevail in a duel to the finish line in the $200,000 Florida Oaks (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs.
The Kitten's Joy filly, seventh through six furlongs, swung six wide into the stretch to launch her bid, and thrust out her neck with a powerful surge to defeat second wagering choice Alpha Bella in the 1 1/16-mile turf test. She covered the distance in 1:41.12 under firm footing and returned $12 for the win.
Juniper's Moon, who led by a half-length in early stretch, hung on for third, 2 1/2 lengths behind Alpha Bella while 9-5 favorite Free Look was fourth in the field of 12 3-year-old fillies.
Trained by Graham Motion for Madaket Stables LLC and RyZan Sun Racing LLC, Mission of Joy has won both starts this year and improved her record to 3-0-0 from four career starts. The $90,000 winner's share of the Florida Oaks purse boosted her lifetime bankroll to $119,807.
Bred in Ontario by Sam-Son Farm, Mission of Joy was produced by the Smart Strike mare Smart Mission. She was a $32,000 purchase from her breeder by Ryan Zabrowski at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale.
Florida Oaks Quotes
Winning trainer H. Graham Motion: “I thought she was super impressive and I thought Tony gave her a very cool ride. He was very patient. She really did it impressively. She fought for it and she showed a lot of heart. Since we got her down to (Tampa Bay Downs), I can't say enough about what a good job Annie (assistant Anne Sinchak) has done with her. They've done a great job with this filly. To be honest, I did not know she was this kind of filly – she really stepped up today.”
Winning assistant trainer Anne Sinchak (on-site): “Oh my God, that was amazing. I'm so excited. I couldn't stop screaming. She was amazing. She did everything the way you wanted her to – settled, relaxed nice and came with a run, everything you wanted. It makes it more exciting when (the plan) comes together. We knew she was a good filly so it was kind of taking a shot, see what she has and go from there. She's been training well and doing everything right, so it was worth a shot and it paid off.”
Winning jockey Antonio Gallardo: “Tampa is my house! She felt really good. She's a little bit complicated, her motion, but the exercise riders, the assistant, everyone in the barn does a good job with her. She can be a little difficult in the gate, and they do a really good job with her. When you have so many people who put so much work in a horse and now you win that race that you want to win, it feels really good. When this filly sees the front, she is really hard to beat.”
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