Tapit Firster ‘Rises’ To the Occasion at Churchill

Essential Quality (Tapit) overcame some mid-stretch traffic trouble and shot away from his rivals to easily capture Saturday’s fourth race at Churchill Downs and earn ‘TDN Rising Star’ status in the process.

Bet into 19-10 favoritism in what appeared to be a strong race on paper, the Godolphin homebred broke without incident and settled in about sixth position down the backstretch racing in about the four path. Sent along to split horses at the 2 1/2-furlong pole, he was full of run, but was forced to steady sharply while short of room three-sixteenths of a mile out. Shaun Bridgmohan was able to get him out of jail and off the canvas at the furlong grounds, and Essential Quality did the rest, accelerating to score by four lengths in the finish.

Essential Quality’s MSW and GSP dam is a daughter of Contrive (Storm Cat), whose daughter Folklore (Tiznow) won the 2005 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Belmont Park. Contrive was purchased by Godolphin for $3 million in foal to Pleasantly Perfect at the 2005 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The 11-year-old Delightful Quality is the dam of a yearling colt by Uncle Mo, was barren to the same stallion for 2020 and was bred to Uncle Mo’s Darley-based Nyquist this past season.

Essential Quality is bred on the cross over Gone West that is responsible for Tapit’s Grade I winner Zazu and additional graded winners Flashback, Bandbox, Ticonderoga and Golden Hawk.

4th-Churchill Downs, $98,670, Msw, 9-5, 2yo, 6f, 1:09.98, ft.
ESSENTIAL QUALITY, c, 2, by Tapit
1st Dam: Delightful Quality (GSP, $253,900), by Elusive Quality
2nd Dam: Contrive, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Jeano, by Fappiano
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,144. O/B-Godolphin LLC (KY); T-Brad H Cox. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Next Stop, Paris: Enable Cruises To Easy Victory In September Stakes

Juddmonte's superstar racemare Enable made it look easy in the G3 September Stakes on Saturday at Kempton Park, cruising to victory under regular rider Frankie Dettori. It was her final prep for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, in which the 6-year-old daughter of Nathaniel will try to become the first horse in history to win the history race three times.

The John Gosden-trained Enable won the Arc in 2017 and 2018, but fell just short when second in 2019.

“All roads lead to Longchamp,” Dettori told racingpost.com. “We came here to do the job, she felt good and the dream is still alive.”

Enable has won 15 of her 18 lifetime starts, including the 2018 Breeders' Cup Turf, and has earnings over US$14 million. The Arc is a “Win and You're In” for this year's Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland.

“What she's done already with all the races she's won is pretty extraordinary, so we'll just build it up one day at a time,” Gosden said. “Frankie was delighted with her. She's had a good blow, had a nice day out and got a bit of freshness off her.”

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Trio Of Fillies Take On The Boys In Del Mar Derby

Over the 76 years the race has been run, no more than a handful of fillies have stepped up to take on the boys in the Grade 2, $200,000 Del Mar Derby. That was until 2020 – the year that has turned everything and everyone sideways.

This year's edition of the “Derby” will have not one, not two, but three fillies ready to rock 'n roll with the guys. The 1 1/8 miles out of the track's diagonal turf chute looks more like a European heat, where the girls take on the boys all the time. It also adds a delicious dimension to a test that is the conclusion of the track's three-race grass series for sophs, led off by the RunHappy Oceanside Stakes and followed up by the La Jolla Handicap.

Sunday's three fillies – all with serious shots to win the race – are Barber or Wachtel Stable's California Kook, Benowitz Family Trust and Madaket Stables' Guitty and Ben and Sally Warren's Warren's Showtime.

The possible favorite in the race, though, appears to be the shipper Pixelate, a colt by City Zip who is in from the east coast to tackle the west coasters and making an appearance at his seventh racetrack in what will be his 11th lifetime start. Pixelate is owned by the powerhouse outfit Godolphin and is trained by the veteran Michael Stidham. He's run in seven straight grass stakes and has finished in the top three in all of them. Having leading rider Umberto Rispoli in the boot Sunday won't hurt his chances.

Here's the full field for the Del Mar Derby from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:  BKB Stables or Sherman's American Farmer (Ricky Gonzalez, 20-1); California Kook (Flavien Prat, 5-1); Guitty (Evan Flores, 8-1); Pixelate (3-1); Todd or Shawn Hansen's No Slo Mo (Giovanni Franco, 30-1); Wertheimer & Frere's Kanderel (Juan Hernandez, 12-1); Warren's Showtime (Jose Velez, 6-1); John Sondereker's Kiss Today Goodbye (Drayden Van Dyke, 8-1); Paula Capestro's Dominant Soul (Edwin Maldonado, 20-1); Hronis Racing's Heywoods Beach (Jose Valdivis, Jr., 12-1); Alfred Pais' Margot's Boy (Tiago Pereira, 12-1), and Karl Pergola's K P All Systems Go (Abel Cedillo, 6-1).

California Kook, a daughter of Boisterous, most recently ran second in the G1I Del Mar Oaks locally on August 22. She's been first or second in five of her eight starts for trainer Peter Miller.

Guitty, a French-bred, was a close-up second in the San Clemente on the grass earlier in the meet. The late-running miss works under the watchful eye of the French trainer Leonard Powell.

Warren's Showtime, bred by his owners, has won five of 12 starts and has banked more than $460,000. She's a daughter of Clubhouse Ride, who was trained by Craig Lewis, the man who now trains Warren's Showtime.

The Del Mar Derby will be race No. 10 on the 11-race Sunday program and one of three stakes on the afternoon. First post Sunday is at 1 p.m.

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