In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar.
Lamorna (f, 2, Munnings–Freudie Anne, by Freud) kicked off her career for Hall of Famer Bill Mott with a better-than-it-looked fourth-place finish sprinting over the Saratoga grass July 20.
Last of 10 after getting squeezed at the start, the 7-1 chance was immediately under a ride from jockey Luis Saez and caboosed the field through an opening quarter in a sharp :22.02. She began to catch the eye with a flashy, sweeping move on the far turn and was hung out seven wide as they straightened for home.
The blaze-faced chestnut continued to rally down the stretch, and, despite racing a bit greenly from there with multiple lead changes, finished only 1 1/4 lengths adrift of the very promising Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies S.-bound Kodiac Wintergreen (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}).
Campaigned in partnership by Arnmore Thoroughbreds and West Paces Racing, Lamorna earned a strong 70 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.
“I was so proud of her,” Arnmore Thoroughbreds's Megan Jones said. “She ran a 14 1/4 Ragozin, which is a huge 2-year-old filly number on the grass. I didn't think she had it easy, either. They came in on her at the start and the winner came out on her at the top of the lane.”
Jones, a former vice president of Team Valor International, continued, “As a baby, when they make that big move on the turn and catch up, you expect that they might flatten out and get tired, but she just kept dropping her head down and trying. I would look to see her back here at Saratoga. She came out of the race super, really good energy. And mentally, she figured out what it was all about.”
Bred in Kentucky by Fergus Galvin, Marc Detampel, Jayne Johnson and Adrian Wallace, Lamorna went through the ring twice at Keeneland, bringing $155,000 from Stoneriggs Farm as a KEENOV weanling and $320,000 from Arnmore Thoroughbreds as a KEESEP yearling.
The versatile New York-bred Freudie Anne, a half-sister to MSW Frostie Anne (Frost Giant), won eight of her 25 career starts, including the New York Stallion Series S. over the Saratoga grass and East View S. on dirt at Aqueduct.
The Munnings over Freud cross is responsible for GSW & GISP Catalina Red. Lamorna is also bred similarly to MGSW and two-time GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint runner-up Om (Munnings), who was produced by a Tabasco Cat mare. Leading young Ashford Stud stallion Munnings is the sire of 26 graded winners.
“I think she's gonna be a pretty versatile filly,” Jones said. “Her mother won short and long, turf and dirt. We were just getting her started there. She's just a real pleasure.”
Jones's fledgling partnership has approximately 10 horses in training, including the 4-year-old homebred filly Poppy Flower (Lea), winner of the GIII Intercontinental S. earlier this summer at Belmont Park.
“I buy fillies as yearlings to race and to add to the broodmare band,” Jones said. “It's hard to win first out, but at the end of the day, as long as you come out of that first race feeling like you have a good individual that we can keep with us for years to come, that's what's really important to us. I am really grateful to my partners because I loved her so much (at Keeneland September) last year.”
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