Lael Stables' Navy Goat overcame a slow pace by saving ground and employing a strong late kick to capture the $60,000 Juvenile Fillies, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 2-year-old Florida-bred fillies on Tapeta, Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
The Juvenile Fillies co-headlined Saturday's 11-race program with the $60,000 Juvenile, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for Florida-bred 2-year-olds on Tapeta.
Favored Navy Goat ($5.40), who was purchased for $450,000 out of the OBS April sale, scored by 2 ½ lengths under Samy Camacho while running 1 1/16 miles on the all-weather surface in 1:44,46. Oh Darlin, the 3-1 second betting choice ridden by Kevin Krigger, finished second, a neck ahead of Luck in the Dusk.
Oh Darlin, who was stretching out around two turns for the first time after graduating by three lengths in a five-furlong maiden test on Tapeta, broke alertly to set a controlled pace around the first turn and along the backstretch.
Navy Goat, a daughter of Army Mule, settled near the rear of the closely packed field of seven fillies as Oh Darlin took a narrow lead into the stretch. The Eddie Plesa Jr.-trained pacesetter fought off all challenges to open a clear lead in the stretch, only to fall victim to Navy Goat, who found room and her best stride to overtake the second choice with a rail surge inside the sixteenth pole.
“She broke a touch slow and there was not much pace, so I thought for a while that she was a little bit in trouble,” trainer Arnaud Delacoeur said. “But he did manage to get her to settle and wait, and she made a big run.”
Navy Goat, who finished third in her Aug. 20 debut in a five-furlong turf race at Monmouth, graduated in one-mile turf event at Kentucky Downs Sept. 14.
“I thought she ran very well at Kentucky Downs, but she needed a little bit of time because we shipped there and we were running back quick, so she was not quite ready for the big races in the fall,” Delacoeur said. “But this was a perfect spot, we gave her plenty of time and obviously she likes the track. I'll have to see what our options are, but I believe that we'll try her in one of those 3-year-old stakes on the turf at some stage.”
Navy Goat was bred by Belvedere Farm. Her dam is the Midnight Lute mare Mandolin.
In the co-featured Juvenile, NBS Stable's Anamnestic emerged on the outside of a hotly contested stretch drive with a late surge to finish first, only to be disqualified for interference.
Palm Beach Racing Partnership's homebred Dangerous Ride took the safest route to the finish line, surging late along the rail while avoiding the trouble that resulted in the disqualification from first to fifth of Anamnestic.
Dangerous Ride ($14.40) was awarded his first stakes victory in his fifth consecutive stakes start since winning his debut May 22 at Gulfstream. The son of Lord Nelson saved ground while closely tracking pacesetter Cheerful Charlie along the backstretch and around the turn into the homestretch.
Edwin Gonzalez found room along the rail at the top of the stretch and sent the Florida-bred colt inside the tiring Cheerful Charlie. Dangerous Ride caught Big Save for second, but Anamnestic had gotten the jump on him from the outside to prevail by three-quarters of a length.
The stewards, however, subsequently ruled that Anamnestic had caused considerable stretch trouble, placing the first-place finishes behind the favorite and fourth-place finisher Souper Blessing. Cheerful Charlie was awarded third.
“It was pretty even at the end. I think he fought at the end. There was a little something going on the outside. At first, I wondered why he didn't go out, but he would have ended up in the whole thing so it's a good thing he saved ground,” Dangerous Ride's trainer Carlos David said. “He decided to stick with the rail and he came up and fought to get second. We're happy.”
Dangerous Ride was produced by the Medaglia d'Oro mare Ride a Wave.
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