Getting a perfect trip under Florent Geroux, Juddmonte Farms' homebred Juliet Foxtrot won Saturday's Grade 3 Gallorette Stakes by one length to kick off the graded stakes action on Preakness Day at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.
Varenka closed strongly down the middle of the turf course to get within a length of Juliet Foxtrot at the wire, with No Mo Lady third and She'sonthewarpath fourth in the field of six older fillies and mares.
Juliet Foxtrot, a5-year-old English-bred daughter of Dansili trained by Brad Cox, covered 1 1/16 miles on yielding turf in 1:49.24 and paid $4.20 for the win, her second in a G3 stakes since coming to the United States from England and fifth win overall from 18 career starts.
Longshot Jabuticaba set the early fractions of :25.24, :50.49 and 1:15.92 with Juliet Foxtrot lapped on her from the outside for much of the way. Geroux asked Juliet Foxtrot to move to the lead on the turn for home, and she responded, opening a clear lead in the stretch and having enough left in the tank to hold off Trevor McCarthy and Varenka, a G2 winner in 2019 who has been off the board in all three of her starts in 2020.
“A little further and she might of gotten there,” said Graham Motion, Varenka's trainer. “The winner is a good filly.”
“(Jabuticaba) looked like she had a lot of speed,” said Geroux. “I just wanted to break good and get away from there and not be on the rail. I wanted to make sure I got a clear shot. I sat second place all the way and when I asked her, she went on. We were concerned how far she wanted to go. I think she's a true miler. I think she's more effective on the firm turf. The ground was a concern, but she was able to show off her class. She won on her class today, and not on what she likes.”
Produced from the King's Best mare, Kilo Alpha, Juliet Foxtrot has been facing top company since winning the G3 Modesty at Arlington Park in July 19 – her third consecutive success after arriving in the U.S.. She finished second, beaten a nose by Vasilika in the G2 John C. Mabee at Del Mar, second to Uni in the G1 First Lady at Keeneland, and third to Got Stormy in the G1 Matriarch at Del Mar to close out her 2019 campaign.
This year, Juliet Foxtrot ran sixth behind Secret Message in the G3 Mint Julep at Churchill Downs, third behind Rushing Fall in the G1 Jenny Wiley and then fourth behind Beau Recall in her most recent start in the G2 Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill Downs.
“Definitely some class relief here helped,” said Ricky Giannini, assistant to Brad Cox. “We just hadn't been able to find the right spots and get her going, but she got the win today.
“Florent [Geroux] read it right. There wasn't much speed in the race. He kind of hustled her out of the gate and let the long shot go, just tipped out and gave her a perfect stalking trip and she kicked on.”
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