Juddmonte homebred Idiomatic (Curlin) continued her ascent to the top of the distaff division Sunday with a dominant and fitting front-running tally in the GI Juddmonte Spinster S., a “Win and You're In” qualifier for next month's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff.
This was the second Spinster title for Juddmonte, which began sponsoring the prestigious race in 2005. Emollient (Empire Maker) carried the famed green and pink to victory here in 2013.
Backed at even-money to repeat rival Nest (Curlin)'s 4-5 odds, the Brad Cox trainee took clear command from the outset, doled out splits of :24.49, :48.31 and 1:12.24 and never faced an ounce of pressure all the way to the wire, which she crossed 4 1/4 lengths to the good. Le Da Vida (Chi) (Gemologist) was second, while Bellamore (Empire Maker) rounded out the trifecta. Nest could only muster a mild late bid and settled for fourth. The final time was 1:49.82.
“Actually, it was not easy looking at the race on paper with Nest being in there, a very good filly,” said winning rider Florent Geroux. “But my filly just keeps on improving and we know the distance is not a problem. She just keeps improving, and Brad and his team had her at her prime again today. She's just getting better and better, and I can't wait to ride her again.”
After methodically moving through her allowance conditions at Turfway Park at the start of the year, Idiomatic made her stakes debut a winning one in that venue's Latonia S. in March. She was a well-beaten second in Belmont's GII Ruffian S. in May before putting them back-to-back in the GIII Shawnee S. at Churchill in June and GII Delaware H. the following month. Idiomatic was last seen defeating the accomplished pair of Secret Oath (Arrogate) and Nest in a sloppy renewal of Saratoga's GI Personal Ensign S. Aug. 25.
This was Brad Cox's first Spinster victory. Of winning it for the famed operation whose name it carries, he said, “It's very special, and I want to thank [owner Fahad bin] Mr. Khalid and his family and obviously the Juddmonte team here in America. This is a big win for this filly, it's her second Grade I. She's had a fantastic year. [This race is] a 'Win and You're In' [for] the Breeders' Cup so we're excited about that. I've run four or five fillies in the past in [this race] and haven't had much luck, so she was able to break through for us today.”
Cox said of Idiomatic, “She's a tremendous talent, very physical, really. When I was saddling her in the paddock, I was, like, 'Wow, she's the biggest horse I've ever trained.' She's a monster. She has a tremendous stride and covers so much ground. She's really a freak–I mean, she really is a tremendous talent, and we're very fortunate to have her.”
Sunday, Keeneland
JUDDMONTE SPINSTER S.-GI, $580,250, Keeneland, 10-8, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m, 1:49.82, ft.
1–IDIOMATIC, 124, f, 4, by Curlin
1st Dam: Lockdown (SW & MGISP, $445,900),
by First Defence
2nd Dam: Rising Tornado, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Silver Star (GB), by Zafonic
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent
Geroux. $367,350. Lifetime Record: 11-8-1-2, $1,416,840.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Le Da Vida (Chi), 124, m, 6, by Gemologist
1st Dam: Viene Cantando (Chi) (MG1SW-Chi,
$119,875), by Gstaad
2nd Dam: Cantan Las Flores (Chi), by Dynamix
3rd Dam: Lanza Flores (Chi), by Gallantsky
O-Masaiva Inc.; B-Haras Santa Olga (CHI); T-Ignacio Correas, IV.
$98,750.
3–Bellamore, 124, m, 5, by Empire Maker
1st Dam: Smart N Soft, by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Softly, by Binalong
3rd Dam: Coragil, by Metfield
($170,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP; $350,000 2yo '20 OBSAPR).
O-Kaleem Shah, Inc.; B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. (KY);
T-Carlos Santamaria. $59,250.
Margins: 4 1/4, 2HF, 4HF. Odds: 1.06, 12.90, 25.51.
Also Ran: Nest, Sixtythreecaliber, Malloy. Scratched: Misty Veil.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
Pedigree Notes:
Idiomatic is the second-straight Spinster winner by super sire Curlin (last year's winner Malathaat took the Distaff next out en route to her second-straight Eclipse), and one of his 22 highest-level winners.
Idiomatic is a fourth-generation Juddmonte-bred and hails from the direct female line of Broodmare of the Year Best in Show (Traffic Judge), whose daughters have been brilliant producers and are responsible for a plethora of top horses over the last 50 or so years. One of those top horses was Juddmonte homebred, 'TDN Rising Star', and champion Close Hatches (First Defence), a full-sister to Idiomatic's stakes-winning and multiple Grade I-placed dam, Lockdown, who was fourth in the 2017 Juddmonte as a sophomore. Close Hatches is the dam of Tacitus (Tapit), whose big wins included the 2019 GII Wood Memorial S. and whose placings included the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont S.
Broodmare sire First Defence, another Juddmonte homebred descending from the operation's wonderful Broodmare of the Year Toussuad (El Gran Senor), has 14 stakes winners out of his daughters. He is also the broodmare sire of 2021 GI Hollywood Derby hero Beyond Brilliant (Twirling Candy). First Defence now stands in Saudi Arabia.
Lockdown died in 2022 after producing just three foals. She has an unraced 3-year-old filly named Abditory (Medaglia d'Oro) and a yearling filly by Into Mischief.
Watch the full replay as Juddmonte's IDIOMATIC wins the @JuddmonteFarms Spinster (G1) in decisive fashion! pic.twitter.com/pAqmZx7ntx
— Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) October 8, 2023
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