Sparkle Blue proved she was aptly named when she kicked home from the nine post to brilliantly take the GIII Rubicon Valley View S. in her first career graded victory ahead of a blanket charge for the minors.
After capping her 2021 season a distant 10th in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. Nov. 27 at Del Mar, her connections gave her some time away and brought their filly back July 2 in Delaware's Christiana S. sporting first-time blinkers. Gamely overcoming contact in the stretch, she held on to win by a half-length at 15-1 over a field which included dominating next-out winner Gizala (Ire) (Invincible Spirit). Resurfacing last out Sept. 6 in Colonial's Woodford Reserve Virginia Oaks with first-time Lasix, she again fought through contact in the stretch to pick up second over familiar face Lady Puchi (Into Mischief) and SP Omixochitl (More Than Ready) at 30-1 odds.
Tracking from third on the fence after the jump here without the diuretic, Sparkle Blue pursued a clearing leader into the upper stretch after :23.02 and :47.77 splits to launch her winning bid outside of that rival at the furlong marker. Sustaining her kick and inching clear to a 2 1/2-length margin, she was comfortably clear of a hard-charging California Angel and Turnerloose, who chased her in to close out the trifecta.
“[Trainer] Graham [Motion] told me to let her be happy, let her be comfortable. She showed a little bit of speed going into the first turn and she was really happy there. She did great and we had a good trip,” said Joel Rosario after the race. “It looked like to the inside there the horse in front was coming in a little bit. I was trying to work it out to get her clear outside, and she did, and after that she just went on. It was perfect.”
Pedigree Note:
Sparkle Blue hails from the sought-after line of Silk n' Sapphire, making her a half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf heroine Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect), who would later accomplish the rare feat of producing a Breeders' Cup winner herself when daughter Sharing (Speightstown) planted her flag in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2020. She would later travel to Royal Ascot in the second start of her 3-year-old season, and finish a game second in the G1 Coronation S.
In addition to the mother-daughter pair, Sparkle Blue also claims GSW & MGSP Colonial Flag (Pleasant Tap). The mare has had a bit more hard luck than their famous shared sister with only two of her first four foals being registered. Of those two, the winning Demimondaine (Tapit) sold for $900,000 at KEENOV in 2020 to Claiborne Farm. Her yearling colt by Speightstown brought $450,000 last month at KEESEP from White Birch Farm and Whitehorse Stables.
Half-sister Secret Jewel (Bernardini)–a $1.2 million KEESEP purchase by Besilu Stables–also flies the female line's flag as the dam of GIII Beaumont S. winner Twenty Carat (Into Mischief) and her four-time winning, older full-sibling Mystic Night. Mark of Success (Mt. Livermore), his dam's lone graded stakes-placed male, found the enclosure on four occasions and ran second in the GIII Risen Star S. Sparkle Blue is the last registered foal for Silk n' Sapphire.
Friday, Keeneland
RUBICON VALLEY VIEW S.-GIII, $298,594, Keeneland, 10-28, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:42.42, gd.
1–SPARKLE BLUE, 118, f, 3, by Hard Spun
1st Dam: Silk n' Sapphire, by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Golden Tiy, by Dixieland Band
3rd Dam: Tiy, by Nalees Man
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Catherine Parke and Augustin Stable; B-Catherine Parke (KY); T-H. Graham Motion; J-Joel Rosario. $174,375. Lifetime Record: 7-4-1-0, $357,075. *1/2 to Mark of Success (Mt. Livermore), GSP, $153,388; 1/2 to Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect), GISW, $1,649,427; 1/2 to Colonial Flag (Pleasant Tap), GSW-Can, SW & MGSP-USA, $312,463. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–California Angel, 118, f, 3, California Chrome–Sea Mona, by Tiz Wonderful. ($5,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $5,500 2yo '21 OBSOPN). O-Chris Walsh; B-Irish National Stud (KY); T-George Leonard, III. $56,250.
3–Turnerloose, 118, f, 3, Nyquist–Goaltending, by A.P. Indy. ($32,000 RNA Wlg '19 KEENOV; $50,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Ike and Dawn Thrash; B-William Humphries & Altair Farms LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $28,125.
Margins: 2HF, NK, HD. Odds: 4.51, 3.39, 6.64.
Also Ran: Bubble Rock, Majestic Glory (GB), Lady Puchi, Bicameral, My Philly Twirl, Sunroof, Heavenly Hellos. Scratched: Diamond Wow, Dolce Zel (Fr), Frippet, Oakhurst.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPshttp://www.equineline.com/tdn/pedigree.cfm?tk=SAR&cy=USA&rd=09/07/2015&rn=9&de=D &ref=9104432. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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