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Fancy Liquor Keeps Geroux’s Hot Streak Alive In American Turf

Florent Geroux continues to have a big weekend at Churchill Downs, following up his five-win Kentucky Oaks day with a victory aboard Sky Chai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable's homebred Fancy Liquor in the Grade 2 American Turf.

The 3-year-old son of Lookin at Lucky entered the $500,000 race off a victory in the listed Caesars Stakes at Indiana Grand, and was sent off as the third choice of seven runners at odds of 9-2. Fancy Liquor, trained by Mike Maker like third-place finisher Field Pass, closed from well off the pace to best Taishan by a half length on the wire, completing 1 1/16 miles over firm turf in 1:42.83.

“I wasn't expecting what we got, but it worked out,” Maker said. “So I'm very pleased. Field Pass is a stakes winner over this course and didn't quite run his race at Saratoga. Tyler (Gaffalione) didn't feel like he handled the softer going today but still ran a good race. Flo said he was loaded, on the gallop out and everything.”

On or near the pace in each of his five lifetime starts thus far, Fancy Liquor wasn't able to keep pace with the early speed in the American Turf. Geroux found himself at least a dozen lengths off the leaders entering the backstretch, but the French veteran didn't panic, guessing that the frontrunners would tire and come back to him.

There were three across the track in the heated early pace battle: American Butterfly on the rail, Sugoi between horses, and 6-5 favorite Smooth Like Strait on the outside. They blasted through early fractions of :23.04 and :46.48, pulling away by about eight lengths from 9-5 second choice Field Pass. It was another four or so lengths back to Fancy Liquor in fifth.

American Butterfly dropped out of the race nearing the far turn, and Sugoi quickly followed suit. By that point, Field Pass had started making up ground on the outside and took over the lead from Smooth Like Strait. Those two battled for several strides before Smooth Like Strait conceded, but the effort left Field Pass vulnerable as Fancy Liquor and Geroux swept up the middle of the course in the final eighth of a mile.

Fancy Liquor grabbed the lead and refused to let Taishan by in the final yards, crossing the wire a half-length the best. Field Pass held on to finish third over Smooth Like Strait.

Bred in Kentucky by his owners, Fancy Liquor is out of the 21-time winning Secret Romeo mare Brandys Secret. The colt won on debut at Gulfstream Park in February of this year, and finished third behind Field Pass next out on the synthetic at Turfway Park in the Jeff Ruby Steaks. Fancy Liquor was again best by Field Pass two starts later when third in the G3 Transylvania, but got away from his stablemate to win the Caesars Stakes in Indiana in his final prep for the American Turf. Overall, Fancy Liquor's record stands at 3-1-2 from six starts for earnings of over $450,000.

“This horse seems to be still learning,” Geroux said. “He broke really well but the horses in front of me were going really fast. He's shown in the past he's run well on the lead but he doesn't necessarily have to have the lead. The race I rode aboard him at Keeneland (the Grade III Transylvania) he came from just off the pace and we got beat by Field Pass that day but I know (Fancy Liquor) was still learning and getting better. Even back in the Jeff Ruby Steaks, where he beat us there, too, (Fancy Liquor) ran a really solid race.”

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Oaks Winner Shedaresthedevil Caps ‘Unbelieveable Day’ For Cox, Geroux

It was a thrilling Friday for the team of Brad Cox and Florent Geroux as the duo teamed up for their second Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) victory in the last three years with Qatar Racing, Flurry Racing and Big Aut Farm's Shedaresthedevil.

“It was such an unbelievable day,” Cox said. “This filly has a ton of heart and Flo gave her the perfect ride.”

Cox had an eerily similar morning Saturday as he did in 2018 following Monomoy Girl's Kentucky Oaks victory. The Louisville native continued his regular routine with 10 of his horses recording published workouts.

“It's the life of a trainer,” Cox said. “Horses like Monomoy Girl and Shedaresthedevil make this job all worth it.”

SWISS SKYDIVER – Trainer Kenny McPeek reported that “all is good” with Peter J. Callahan's Kentucky Oaks runner up Swiss Skydiver despite exiting the race with a few cuts on a front ankle. Next race plans are “undecided” for the multiple stakes winner as of Saturday morning, according to McPeek.

Following the race, the trainer made a case for bringing the stallion Daredevil, who was sold to Turkey late last year, back to the U.S., noting he sired both Swiss Skydiver and the Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil.

“They need to get him back here,” McPeek said. “He's a good stallion.”

GAMINE – Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert reported that Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine “looked great” and was in good order the morning after finishing third as the favorite in the 146th edition of the Longines Kentucky Oaks.

Gamine set the pace in the 1 1/8-miles Oaks before being collared in the stretch by winner Shedaresthedevil and runner-up Swiss Skydiver. The loss marked the first time the daughter of Into Mischief had been beaten on the square in her five career starts as her only prior blemish was a loss via disqualification for a medication overage at Oaklawn Park.

SPEECH – Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Madaket Stables and Heider Family Stables' Speech is scheduled to return to her Southern California base Monday morning according to trainer Michael McCarthy.

“She had a tough trip all the way around,” McCarthy said of Speech, who finished fourth. “She got bumped at the break by Gamine and hit at the 7 ½ pole by Donna Veloce and checked by Donna Veloce at the six-furlong pole. She never got a chance to run her race.”

TEMPERS RISING – Mark and Nancy Stanley's Temper's Rising was back in Dallas Stewart's Barn 34 Saturday morning and doing well following her fifth-place effort in Friday's Kentucky Oaks.

“I thought she ran a great race,” Stewart said.

BAYERNESS – Belladonna Racing's Bayerness was back at Trackside Louisville – Churchill Downs' training facility – Saturday morning. Her next race plans are still to be announced.

HOPEFUL GROWTH – Trainer Anthony Margotta reported via text message that his St. Elias Stable's Monmouth Oaks (GIII) winner Hopeful Growth, sixth in the Oaks, came out of the race in good shape and would be leaving to go back to her Monmouth Park base at 5 p.m. Saturday.

DONNA VELOCE – Kaleem Shah. Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Donna Veloce is scheduled to return to her Southern California base Monday morning following a disappointing run in Friday's Kentucky Oaks.

“She came back good,” said Carlos Santamaria, assistant to trainer Simon Callaghan. “We will try to get her as good as we can for the Breeders' Cup.

Making her first start in six months, Donna Veloce “had a lot of problems” in the race Santamaria said.

“Out of the gate, the five (Gamine) came in and hit the four (Speech) and she hit us,” Santamaria said. “She dropped the bit and ran off going into the first turn. He (jockey Ricardo Santana Jr.) took her to the outside to get her settled and going down the backside he could feel the field pushing him further outside. He ended up being wide all the way around.”

DREAM MARIE – Miracle's International Trading Inc.'s Dream Marie was scheduled to leave Churchill Downs Saturday morning following her ninth-place finish in the Oaks.

“She came out of the race OK,” trainer Matthew Williams said of Dream Marie, who trailed the field throughout. “We were hoping for a better result, but it was still a great experience.”

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Déjà Vu: Shedaresthedevil Springs 15-1 Upset For Cox, Geroux In Kentucky Oaks

Nothing is quite the same in 2020, and horse racing has been no exception. Churchill Downs' cavernous, nearly empty grandstands stood watch over Friday's Kentucky Oaks, delayed from the first Friday in May to September by the global coronavirus pandemic.

Fans may not have been present this year, but trainer Brad Cox must have felt a strong sense of déjà vu when he saddled Staton Flurry and Qatar Racing's Shedaresthedevil to post a 15-1 upset in the 3-year-old fillies' classic. Just one race prior, Cox had sent out his 2018 Kentucky Oaks winner Monomoy Girl to win the Grade 1 La Troienne.

“This is why you wake up every morning to get to win races like this,” Cox said. “This filly has been really impressive coming into the race and when she breezed with Monomoy Girl a couple weeks ago, we knew how well she was training. There were some tough fillies in the Oaks this year with Swiss Skydiver and Gamine. We are so thrilled to win a race like this, again, in our backyard. This has been a phenomenal day with Monomoy Girl winning the La Troienne then winning the Oaks with Shedaresthedevil. These are the days you dream of.”

Jockey Florent Geroux rode both champion Monomoy Girl and Shedaresthedevil to victory on Friday, and booted home a total of four winners on the Kentucky Oaks card.

“She had a great trip,” said Geroux. “She broke very sharp and I was able to stalk Gamine all the way. That was the plan, but sometimes plans don't always work out. Perfect plan today. The only question was whether or not I was going to be able to run her down. My filly ran an amazing race. It's been an amazing day.”

Shedaresthedevil came into the Oaks with wins in three of her five starts this year, but her long odds reflected the fact that she hadn't been successful against the division's top contenders. Her wins came in the G3 Indiana Oaks, an allowance race, and the G3 Honeybee, while she'd been beaten 13 1/4 lengths by Kentucky Oaks rival Swiss Skydiver in Oaklawn's G3 Fantasy Stakes back in May.

“We've taken the conservative route with this filly, kind of dodged the bullets,” Flurry explained. “We did that with the hope that we'd have a fresh horse for this.”

The strategy seems to have worked out, as Shedaresthedevil pulled away to win the Kentucky Oaks by 1 1/2 lengths. It was also the fastest Kentucky Oaks in history as Shedaresthedevil ran 1 1/8 miles over the fast main track in 1:48.28, besting Bird Town's 2003 time of 1:48.64.

A total of nine 3-year-old fillies lined up for the nine-furlong contest, including the supremely talented Gamine, who'd won her last two races by a combined total of over 35 lengths. Gamine went off at odds of 3-5, while G1 Alabama winner Swiss Skydiver, who'd also earned 40 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby by facing males in the G3 Blue Grass Stakes, was the second choice at 5-2.

As expected, the speedy Gamine went straight to the lead from post position five, and Swiss Skydiver pushed through from her position on the rail to try to be second. Shedaresthedevil broke to her left, and muscled her way over to keep pace pressure on Gamine through the early stages, keeping Swiss Skydiver boxed in on the inside.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez kept a tight hold on Gamine through a first quarter in 23.39 seconds, but Geroux also had Shedaresthedevil under a good hold just a length off the leader. Swiss Skydiver and Tyler Gaffalione were at the rail in third, while Donna Veloce tried to push her way into contention between rivals in fourth.

Just after the half-mile in :47.92, Velazquez left the rail open for a few strides and Gaffalione tried to send Swiss Skydiver on through. He didn't make the gap and Velazquez aimed Gamine back at the rail, causing Gaffalione to check and wait for the overland route along the outside.

That veteran move by Velazquez gave Geroux an opportunity with Shedaresthedevil, and he took full advantage, getting first run on Gamine around the far turn. Swiss Skydiver ended up swinging three-wide at the head of the lane, but Shedaresthedevil had already set her sights on the passing Gamine and hitting the wire first.

Shedaresthedevil dug in to put away Gamine by the three-sixteenths pole, then held of the late bid from Swiss Skydiver on her outside to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Gamine checked in third, while Speech got up to finish fourth. The remaining order of finish was: Tempers Rising, Hopeful Growth, Bayerness, Donna Veloce, and Dream Marie.

Trainer Ken McPeek wasn't displeased with the effort from runner-up Swiss Skydiver.

“She ran super,” McPeek said. “That other filly (Shedaresthedevil) has been training extremely well. I've been watching her. Tyler (Gaffalione) rode her good. That's horse racing. There's no guarantees. She's been training super. I actually wasn't as worried about Gamine as I was about another filly running a bang-up race. That's what happened.”

Meanwhile, Hall of Famer Bob Baffert had been hoping for a stronger return to two-turn racing for the super-talented Gamine.

“She hadn't gone long and we can always second guess ourselves,” Baffert lamented. “Maybe I should have run her longer or whatever. But the winner was tough, you have to give her credit.

“(Gamine) just didn't have it. Turning for home, she was in a good spot and she was late switching leads and she never does that. I don't know if she just got tired or whatever. But down the backside he couldn't have been any better, he was in the perfect spot. She just didn't have it there.”

Shedaresthedevil (center, maroon cap) out-finishes both Swiss Skydiver (left) and Gamine (right) to win the Kentucky Oaks

Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Shedaresthedevil is out of the winning Congrats mare Starship Warpspeed. Initially sold for $100,000 as a weanling at the Keeneland November sale, the filly returned and did not meet her reserve when bidding stopped at $20,000 at the following year's Keeneland September sale.

Entered in race training with Norm Casse, Shedaresthedevil won on debut and was the first winner for her freshman sire, Daredevil, in June of 2019 at Churchill Downs. Qatar Racing purchased an interest in the filly and she was sent to west coast trainer Simon Callaghan, for whom she ran third in the G2 Sorrento, fourth in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, and second in the Anoakia Stakes.

Sent back through the Keeneland November sale at the end of her juvenile season, Shedaresthedevil brought a final bid of $280,000 from Staton Flurry, and Qatar Racing stayed in for the ride. The filly was sent to trainer Brad Cox, and kicked off her sophomore year with a second-place finish to stablemate Bonny South in an allowance at Oaklawn Park. She added the pair of graded stakes wins to her resume over the course of 2020, and the Kentucky Oaks win improves her overall record to 5-2-2 from 10 starts for earnings of over $1.2 million.

“As bad as 2020's been for everybody, this makes it a little bit better, for us,” Flurry said from the winner's circle.

Co-owner Staton Flurry celebrates with friends after Shedaresthedevil brings home the Kentucky Oaks trophy

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‘That Sort Of Swing, The Glide, The Stride’: Shirreffs Says Honor A. P. Should Go The Distance

Honor A. P., the likely second choice for Saturday's rescheduled edition of the Kentucky Derby, has made quite an impression galloping over the Churchill Downs surface in the mornings. The son of Honor Code has the look of his grandsire, A.P. Indy, and should relish the 1 1/4-mile distance of the Run for the Roses, according to trainer John Shirreffs.

“Obviously he's named after his grandsire, so what he really has is a really big stride,” Shirreffs explained. “He has a long underline, and he has a very big stride, and it's an effortless stride. Like, when you watch sprinters run, they kind of run hard, like they're turning the stride over, turning the stride over, turning the stride over. You're not seeing that swing, that little rhythm to their stride, usually.

“With Honor A. P., that's what you see, that sort of swing, the glide, the stride; swing, glide, stride. That shows or indicates that he's not putting a lot of effort into it, so that helps horses go farther.”

Though he was particularly impressive winning the Santa Anita Derby on June 6, racing pundits may be hesitant to back Honor A. P. after his loss last out in the Shared Belief Stakes. Shirreffs explained that he didn't have the colt completely focused on running ahead of that 1 1/16-mile contest at Del Mar.

“Going into the Shared Belief, we were working on other things than cranking him up for the race,” the trainer said. “We were working on his attitude a little bit, trying to get him to behave a little bit better. He was starting to feel really good, and he was starting to be a little difficult to handle. So we wanted to do everything we could to quiet him, calm him down, get him to relax, and not crank him up and get him stressing.

“The only way you can do that with a big strong animal is to quiet them, and the best way to quiet them is to give them lots of exercise. Wet saddle blankets is the best thing for a high-strung horse.”

Honor A. P. has been on his best behavior at Churchill this week, and while Shirreffs believes he's ready for the challenge, the trainer said he'd just as soon have run the Derby in May.

“It would have been nice to run then, because the sequence would have been perfect,” he said. “I don't think the four months have helped him or hurt him, he was pretty precocious early on.”

Shirreffs knows what a Kentucky Derby winner looks like, after all. He saddled Giacomo to an upset victory in 2005, and told reporters he still hasn't watch the replay from that first Saturday in May.

“The feeling I had after the race was so special, I want to keep that feeling,” Shirreffs said. “I don't want to analyze the race, and go, 'oh, look at this and look at that.' I just want to think of the whole thing and the feeling I got from it.”

He'll miss the fans at this year's September Derby, of course, but Shirreffs is hoping for a big effort from Honor A. P. on Saturday.

“(Listening to the fans is) sort of an electric feeling, but winning the Derby is always special,” said Shirreffs. “But Honor A. P. is a completely different horse, and it's his opportunity, so we want to make the best of that.”

Thanks to the National Turfwriters and Broadcasters Association (NTWAB), which has assembled a group of pool reporters providing independent reporting to members unable to be on the Churchill Downs grounds this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

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