Uncle Mo Filly Girl Daddy Earns Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Berth With Pocahontas Score

Albaugh Family Stables' Girl Daddy collared dueling leaders Inject and Mania at the head of stretch and then repulsed a bid from favored Crazy Beautiful to win the 52nd running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Pocahontas for 2-year-old fillies by two lengths at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and take the first step toward the 2021 running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Trained by Dale Romans and ridden by Joe Talamo, Girl Daddy covered the mile on the fast main track in 1:34.94. The victory was a record-setting fourth in the Pocahontas for Romans who previously won with Sara Louise (2008), Sassy Image (2009) and Cristina's Journey (2014).

Girl Daddy picked up 10 points toward next year's Oaks with the second- through fourth-place finishers picking up four, two and one point, respectively.

The victory also earned Girl Daddy a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to be run Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

Inject and Mania led the field of nine through fractions of :22.22 and :44.97 as Talamo had Girl Daddy racing in the second tier on the outside. Moving three-wide at the head of the lane, Girl Daddy shot to the lead and got the jump on Crazy Beautiful who was caught in traffic.

“What a talented filly she is,” said Talamo. “In the paddock Dale (Romans) just said to ride her like I did last time. Fortunately, it worked out that way.  I just let her do her thing. It's crazy that they went in :44 and change. The way she was going, it felt like :46 and change. That's how you know you're on a good one. Her mind is what makes her so talented. When she won at Ellis Park she acted like she had run 12 times. It was the same thing today. She was on the muscle, but in a good way.”

Girl Daddy is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Uncle Mo out of the Unbridled's Song mare Cara Marie. Now perfect in two starts, Girl Daddy picked up the winner's share of $119,040 and increased her bankroll to $141,240.

“This filly was super impressive with that fast pace up front,” said Romans. “They were running really fast but Joe (Talamo) got her in a great spot. She's shown some incredible talent for this stage of her career. It's exciting having a filly developing this quickly. We're thrilled to only have to take a short trip down the road to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup.”

Girl Daddy returned $8.60, $3.60 and $3.20. Crazy Beautiful, ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., returned $3 and $2.60 with Alexandria finishing another 3 3/4 lengths back in third and paying $5 to show under Gerardo Corrales.

It was another 5 3/4 lengths back to Xtrema who was followed in order by Fabricate, Mania, American Grace. Inject and Blissful Change.

Friday's 13-race program that begins at 11 a.m. (all times Eastern) is headlined by the 146th running of the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI). In addition to the Oaks, five other graded stakes are on tap including the $500,000 La Troienne  (G1) for fillies and mares that features 2018 Eclipse Award winner and Kentucky Oaks winner Monomoy Girl.

“We're thrilled to only have to take a short trip down the road to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup,” said Dale Romans, trainer of Girl Daddy

The post Uncle Mo Filly Girl Daddy Earns Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Berth With Pocahontas Score appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Goliath Versus Davids In the Kentucky Oaks

In this corner comes ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Gamine (Into Mischief), a filly by one of the world’s hottest and most fashionable sires who was purchased for a seven-figure price tag at public auction and has whitewashed Grade I rivals by a combined 25 3/4 lengths in her last two starts.

Sharing space in the other corner is Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), a much more modest auction purchase, who is perfect in her last four against her own sex; and Speech (Mr Speaker), not quite as accomplished as her two chief rivals, but who should in no way be ignored in Friday’s GI Longines Kentucky Oaks.

A $220,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, Gamine fetched a record-breaking $1.8 million at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale and nothing has finished ahead of her in four career starts. Bar one start, none of her rivals has come close. A maiden winner at first asking by open lengths, she crossed the line a neck better than Speech in a first-level Oaklawn allowance in what is her lone two-turn start to date. Subsequently disqualified for a drug positive, she earned a 110 Beyer for an 18 3/4-length jaw-dropper in the GI Longines Acorn S. going Belmont’s one-turn mile June 20 (by comparison, Tiz the Law was given a 100 for his Belmont score). Shortening up to seven furlongs for the GI Longines Test S., she set the pace from the fleet Venetian Harbor (Munnings) and ran away from her to hit the line seven lengths to the good.

The nine-furlong distance is the obvious question mark for Gamine heading into Friday, but if three-time Oaks-winning trainer Bob Baffert is feeling the pinch, he isn’t exactly showing it.

‘We know she’s fast and she’s done [two turns] before so it’s not like it’s new,” he said. “We’re just blessed we have a filly like this. We gave a lot of money for her and it’s worked out. A lot of times you do that and they don’t work out. We’re just enjoying her.”

Gamine is expected to be the speed of the Oaks, but Tyler Gaffalione should have Swiss Skydiver within shouting distance from the start. The $35,000 long-time Ken McPeek client Peter Callahan invested in the chestnut at Keeneland September two falls ago has proven to be money very well spent. While the margins of her victories have been less imposing than those posted by Gamine, the performances have been no less dominating.

The victims look the same–she defeated Venetian Harbor in a highly rated renewal of Oaklawn’s GIII Fantasy S. in May, then ventured to Speech’s home turf and took down her colors in the GII Santa Anita Oaks the following month. Hardly disgraced when second to Art Collector (Bernardini) in an audacious attempt at the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. July 11, she thrashed her rivals in the GI Alabama S. when last spotted Aug. 15. McPeek is looking forward to the challenge directly ahead.

“We ran on the same racetrack that weekend at Oaklawn and I don’t think there’s a lot separating them,” he said. “It’s going to be fun to watch. That’s what makes me confident. [Bob Baffert’s] filly is going to have to do something she hasn’t experienced and it’s something we’ve done over and over all year.”

Speech figures to sit a good trip in the Oaks, tracking the top two. The Florida-bred earned a richly deserved Grade I last time out in Keeneland’s Ashland S. July 11, earning a figure competitive with what Gamine and Swiss Skydiver have put up going two turns. A $65,000 short yearling at the 2018 OBS Winter Mixed Sale, Speech was bought back on a bid of $95,000 at Fasig-Tipton July that summer and fetched $190,000 at OBS March 18 months ago.

‘TDN Rising Star‘ Donna Veloce (Uncle Mo) was just touched off as the favorite in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in just her second career start and makes his first start since soundly defeating Speech in the GIII Santa Ysabel S. at Santa Anita Mar. 8.

It seems only fitting that in the town the late Muhammad Ali called home, a true heavyweight battle looms in the minutes just prior to 6 p.m. Friday afternoon.

The post Goliath Versus Davids In the Kentucky Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights