Allowed to find her feet near the back of the field as Heavenly Sunday (Candy Ride {Arg}) outfooted Well Into (Into Mischief) and made play up front, Papilio hugged the fence while a fraction keen turning up the backstretch. Steered into the two path while tugging against Javier Castellano from second last into the second turn, Papilio split rivals approaching the quarter pole and was switched out and around 'TDN Rising Star' Be Your Best (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) entering the final furlong. Refusing to chart a straight course and weaving in and out with time ticking away, she wanted to have a good look at the grandstand while trying to win the race inside the sixteenth pole and came in on the comebacking Pleasant Passage (More Than Ready), causing that already beaten rival to check sharply. But Castellano managed to get his mount straightened out in the nick of time for a breakthrough win at the graded level.

The Appalachian was a measure of redemption for the Mark Casse barn, who was shut out on opening day, including an off-the-board effort in the GI Central Bank Ashland S. from champion Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief).

“She has an amazing turn of foot,” Casse said of the winner. “If she ever learns to run a straight line, who knows how good she is? She isn't really a tricky filly. She's actually a sweetie. She just runs in different directions. I think once she 'gets it' around here she's going to be very tough.”

Papilio defeated the boys in two of her first three starts and was runner-up in the Listed Churchill S. at Tipperary last August for trainer 'Fozzy' Stack and Mrs. M.V. Magnier, Mrs. Paul Shanahan and Tom Magnier. She was a midfield sixth behind the exciting Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) and future GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. and had the Herecomesthebride all but sewn up, only to hand the race to Danse Macabre (Army Mule).

Pedigree Notes:

The 28th worldwide black-type winner and 18th graded/group winner for her sire (by Choisir {Aus}), Papilio was a €60,000 purchase by Shawn Dugan at the 2021 Arqana August Sale and is out of an unraced half-sister to Balius (Ire) (Mujahid), a Group 2 winner in Dubai, a five-time listed winner in France, victorious at stakes level in Turkey and Group 1-placed in Hong Kong and Singapore. Glafyra is the dam of the 2-year-old filly Feet of Fear (GB) (Ten Sovereigns) and a yearling colt by Cable Bay (Ire).

Saturday, Keeneland
APPALACHIAN S. PRESENTED BY JAPAN RACING ASSOCIATION-GII, $338,600, Keeneland, 4-8, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.32, gd.
1–PAPILIO (IRE), 118, f, 3, by Starspangledbanner (Aus)
               1st Dam: Glafyra (Fr), by High Chaparral (Ire)
               2nd Dam: Akhla, by Nashwan
               3rd Dam: Beautiful River, by Irish River (Fr)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. (€60,000
Ylg '21 ARAUG). O-D. J. Stable LLC, Medallion Racing, Barry
Fowler, and Parkland Thoroughbreds; B-SCEA Marmion &
Mr A. Jathiere (IRE); T-Mark E. Casse; J-Javier Castellano.
$176,700. Lifetime Record: 7-3-2-0, $258,700.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Cairo Consort, 118, f, 3, Cairo Prince–Absolutely
Awesome, by Street Cry (Ire). ($37,000 RNA Wlg '20
FTKNOV; $95,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT; $875,000 2yo '22
FTKNOV). O-Repole Stable and Town and Country Racing,
LLC; B-Frankfort Park Farm (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$76,000.
3–Heavenly Sunday, 118, f, 3, Candy Ride (Arg)–Alien Giant,
by Giant's Causeway. ($170,000 RNA Ylg '21 KEESEP).
O-Miacomet Farm (William Harrigan); B-Randal Family Trust
(KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $38,000.
Margins: NK, 1, 1. Odds: 5.99, 3.01, 4.12.
Also Ran: Well Into, Pleasant Passage, Sabalenka, Be Your Best (Ire), Alpha Bella, Beautifulnavigator (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Papilio Scales Heights in Appalachian appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Chad Brown can never be ignored in a turf stake and he enters European import Dolce Zel (Fr) (Zelzal {Fr}). Graduating at second asking in France for her former connections, the bay was privately purchased by Michael Dubb, Robert LaPenta and Sol Kumin's Madaket Stables and transferred to Brown. She won her Stateside debut in Tampa's GIII Florida Oaks Mar. 12.

Shug McGaughey saddles an interesting contender in Skims (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Off the board in her sprint debut at Belmont in October, the Andrew Rosen homebred rallied to victory in a two-turn event at Aqueduct Nov. 19 and captured a Tampa optional claimer Feb. 16. The bay fired back-to-back bullets in preparation for this event, most recently going a half-mile in :48 1/5 over the Payson Park turf Apr. 1. She gains the services of red-hot rider Flavien Prat for this step up in class.

The post Spendarella Headlines Appalachian appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Signaling her readiness with a sharp four-furlong move in :48.46 at Palm Beach Downs Mar. 27, the 8-5 favorite went straight to the front as her partner, Luis Saez, lulled the field to sleep through initial splits of :24.82 and :49.87. With plenty in reserve kicking for home, the Starlight Racing runner built a comfortable cushion and was kept to task late, crossing the wire a geared-down 3/4-length winner over European transplant Gift List (GB) with Plum Ali third.

“She was so professional today, she broke from there so sharp,” said Saez, who was recording his third win of the afternoon. “We just tried to relax and she did it so perfect. She came into the stretch and I had so much horse, so I was just letting her be happy and we came to the end she just took off. She's good.”

Runner up in her career debut sprinting six furlongs in the Saratoga slop last August, Jouster finished fifth next time stretching to a mile at Belmont in September. Off for the remainder of the season, she kicked off the year in style, scoring by 8 3/4 lengths over the Gulfstream turf Jan. 10 and earning TDN Rising Star status in the process. She came back to make it two straight at the Hallandale oval with another confident victory Feb. 7.

Pedigree Notes:

Jouster's win in Keeneland's Appalachian makes her the third graded/group winner for her sire Noble Mission (GB), a full-brother to champion and leading sire Frankel (GB). Purchased by Starlight for $360,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale, the filly is out of Playtime, a daughter of champion 2-year-old filly Storm Flag Flying (Storm Cat) and granddaughter of multiple Grade I winner My Flag (Easy Goer). A half-sister to multiple graded placed Revved Up (Candy Ride {Arg}), the 9-year-old mare produced her latest live foal, a filly by West Coast, last season. This represents the family of the undefeated Champion Older Mare Personal Ensign (Private Account).

Saturday, Keeneland
APPALACHIAN S. PRESENTED BY JAPAN RACING ASSOCIATION-GII, $200,000, Keeneland, 4-3, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.83, gd.
1–JOUSTER, 118, f, 3, by Noble Mission (GB)
                1st Dam: Playtime, by Street Cry (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Storm Flag Flying, by Storm Cat
                3rd Dam: My Flag, by Easy Goer
'TDN Rising Star' 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES
WIN. ($360,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-Starlight Racing; B-St. Elias
Stables, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Luis Saez. $120,000.
Lifetime Record: 6-3-2-0, $214,920. Werk Nick Rating: A. 
   Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Gift List (GB), 118, f, 3, Bated Breath (GB)–Birthstone (GB),
by Machiavellian. (23,000gns Ylg '19 TAOCT). O-Amerman
Racing LLC; B-James Ortega Bloodstock Ltd (GB); T-Brian A.
Lynch. $40,000.
3–Plum Ali, 120, f, 3, First Samurai–Skipping, by Stroll. ($65,000
Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables LLC &
Bethlehem Stables LLC; B-Stone Farm (KY); T-Christophe
Clement. $20,000.
Margins: 1HF, HF, 3HF. Odds: 1.70, 8.30, 2.30.
Also Ran: Saranya, Flown, Spanish Loveaffair.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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