Gritty Bay Storm withstood non-stop pace pressure and the late charge from Wakanaka on Saturday to win the $1-million AGS Ladies Turf Sprint (G2) by a neck at Kentucky Downs.
Trained by Jonathan Thomas, who was winning his second $1-million race on the card following Regal Realm's victory in the Castle Hill Gaming Ladies Turf (G3), Bay Storm emphatically made amends for her runner-up finish in last year's edition of the race.
Getting to the lead was an important element as was past success over the Kentucky Downs course. A year ago, the daughter of Kantharos owned by Bridlewood Farm, was not in front at any of the calls and finished a nose behind Campanelle.
Though she had company throughout the 6½-furlong race on Saturday, once she gained the advantage, none of the other six horses in the field was able to get in front of her and Florent Geroux, who also piloted Regal Realm for Thomas.
Most of the time, Tony Ann and jockey Tyler Gaffalione were on her right flank as she set fraction of :22.63, :45.80, and 10:10.41. Wakanaka came with a strong run from the back of the field, pulled alongside the leading pair at the sixteenth pole but could not get past them.
“She broke in the air,” Geroux said. “She recovered and came back on the inside of Tyler and made the lead. She ran great here last year on this track. It was a big advantage. She is a fighter. It's very simple here: They either like it or they don't. She fought today.”
Bay Storm completed 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.06 and paid $7.72. Wakanaka, a slim 5-2 favorite over Bay Storm, edged Tony Ann by a head for second.
Thomas said the victory took some of the sting out of last year's loss.
“Without a doubt,” he said. “She really deserves this. She's got a crazy-good resume. I think that's her (17th) lifetime start and she's only been off the board twice. It's a real credit to her, a graded stakes winner. George Isaacs and the Bridlewood team have been really patient with her. It's kind of like a bow on a present. It feels good to have gotten her that win.”
Bay Storm was the fourth winner Saturday that had either won before or run very well over the distinctive Kentucky Downs course.
“Some horses have an affinity (for the course),” Thomas said. “She's certainly taken to this track real well. The common thread is all the winners we've had, they'll run on anything. I don't know if they just like the track or they're just tough. Everything we've won with, they're tough hardy front-end type of horses.”
Thomas said that with Wakanaka charging the contact with Tony Ann in the stretch probably was a positive.
“There were a couple of dodgy moments,” he said. “Honestly, the filly on the outside bumping her a couple of times probably fired her up. That probably helped us get to the wire the way we did, kind of made her dig down a little deeper. But that's what we expect from her.”
Thomas has two other wins in $1-million races on his resume courtesy of Catholic Boy in the 2018 Travers (G1) and Belmont Derby (G1). Saturday's wins by Bay Storm and Regal Realm marked his first daily double in $1-million dollar tests.
“I was actually thinking that earlier, being here and winning two races, basically the monetary equivalent of the Travers, is a pretty big deal,” he said.
“My family and I recently moved to Kentucky. This is home. So we've had a good kind of homecoming here.”
Thomas said he relocated to Kentucky in search of more opportunities. Right now he is based at Turfway Park.
Wakanaka, co-owned by Team Valor and Gary Barber, has been a consistent performer and has finished in the top three in 16 of her 20 career starts.
“She came running,” said jockey Joel Rosario. “It looked for a second that we might win the race. It was a good run.
Bred in Kentucky by Candy Meadows LLC, Bay Storm was produced by the Midshipman mare Stormy Regatta, a multiple stakes winner who was graded-placed.
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