Under a patient ride from Paco Lopez early on, Shotgun Hottie swung four wide into the stretch and drove past favorite Search Results to take the $500,000 Molly Pitcher (G3) by a half length Saturday at Monmouth Park.
Sent off at 8-1 odds, the 4-year-old Gun Runner filly was winning for the fifth time in 15 career starts and came in off a victory in the Lady's Secret Stakes June 10 at the Oceanport, N.J. track. Saturday's triumph marked her first graded stakes victory after two seconds and a third in graded events last year.
Shotgun Hottie returned $18.40 after covering 1 1/16 miles 1:43 and change.
Chilean-bred Le Da Vida finished second after racing last of seven early, and Search Results finished third, three-quarters of a length back, after pressing the pacesetter Loved for the first half mile.
Shotgun Hottie is trained by Cherie DeVaux for owners Omar Aldabbagh and Jeff Ganje. She was bred in Kentucky by Vincent Colbert from the Malibu Moon mare Re Entry. She sold to Ganje out of the Gene Recio consignment at the 2021 OBS spring sale of 2-year-olds in training for $45,000.
Molly Pitcher Quotes:
WINNING TRAINER – Cherie DeVaux: “Paco looked like he had a lot of horse throughout the race and when he ranged up on the backside it then was just sustaining that run. She did sustain her run and I'm just really proud of her. I left her here (after she won the Lady's Secret here in her last on June 10) under the care of (trainer) Dan Ward. She's been working over this track and has a lot of experience on the track. She's run two races prior here (Serena's Song May 14) and she's just improving each subsequent week.”
WINNING JOCKEY – Paco Lopez: “I loved my position today. My position was great. But I never expected it to happen like that. I got lucky today. I had to wait outside. When we reached the final turn I just let her go. Cherie DeVaux told me she was ready today. The last time I rode her (in winning the Lady's Secret at Monmouth Park on June 10) nobody wanted the lead so I put her on the lead. Today I had to wait a lot more. Cherie told me she would be ready for this race. I said, 'OK.' I know this filly she tries hard, even after she didn't break well. She was loaded and waiting and waiting. I knew [Search Results] was inside us, but my filly was good today.”
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