It was clear in the stretch of the Grade 1 Just A Game Stakes that a gray horse under the Godolphin blue from the yard of trainer Charlie Appleby was going to end up in the winner's circle. After slipping past her stablemate through a tight rail seam, Althiqa took the honors over pacesetter Summer Romance.
Althiqua, a 4-year-old British-bred daughter of Dark Angel, was tucked in near the back of the pack by jockey Mike Smith during the opening jumps, while Summer Romance shot out to a multi-length lead. Zofelle followed Summer Romance from the inside post, along with New York Girl, but the leader was ahead by several lengths after the opening quarter in :23.43 seconds.
Summer Romance remained unchallenged through the next quarter-mile, and she set an opening half in :46.90 seconds as she led the field into the turn. In the meantime, Smith still sat chilly on the rail with Althiqa in eighth.
Summer Romance was still comfortably in the lead heading into the stretch, but many of the horses that had kept Althiqa tucked in through the early goings of the race fanned out wide, leaving the inside path wide open. Althiqa in the mid-stretch, and split between Zofelle and Always Shopping to take aim on her stablemate.
Jockey Luis Saez kept Summer Romance to task, but he left the rail open for Althiqa to slip through with about a sixteenth to go. Althiqa took advantage of the opening, and kicked away to win by three-quarters of a length over Summer Romance. Daddy Is a Legend ran evenly to finish third, 1 3/4 lengths behind the runner-up.
Althiqa finished the one-mile race in 1:33.90 over a turf course labeled as good, and she paid $16.80 to win.
Saturday's win improved Althiqa's lifetime record to five wins in 10 starts for earnings of $466,213.
The Just A Game was the first North American start for the Godolphin homebred, who was bred in Great Britain, out of the Shamardal mare Mistrusting. She spent the spring in Dubai, winning the Group 2 Cape Verdi Stakes over Summer Romance and finishing third to her stablemate in the G2 Balanchine prior to the Just A Game. She raced in Great Britain and France in 2020, earning Group 3 placings in both countries.
Summer Romance, an Irish-bred Kingman filly, also made her first North American start in the Just A Game. She raced primarily in England last year, highlighted by a win in the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes.
To view the Equibase chart, click here.
G1 Longines Just a Game Quotes, Courtesy of the NYRA Press Office
Charlie Appleby, winning trainer of Althiqa (No. 8, $16.80) and runner-up Summer Romance (No. 9): “We're obviously delighted with it and we knew we had two competitive fillies. It's one of those days when we prepped well, I was confident they would run a big race and they justified it. They are two fillies who ran well over the winter in Dubai in Group 2s—one won the Balanchine and the other won the Cape Verdi—and they came out there to America and put it to the sword again. It's a great effort by the team there and we might think about leaving them there for Saratoga. Althiqa hit the line strong enough and she wasn't stopping. It was an opportunity to get a Group 1, and luckily we did.
“Mike [Smith, aboard Althiqa] gave us our first Grade 1 in the Breeders' Cup with Outstrip, so it's great to team up again. With Rebel's Romance [developed an infection and had to drop out of consideration for the G1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets] earlier this week and this, it's just the ups and downs of it all. We've seen it here in the UK and you just have to roll with the punches.
“We'll definitely consider the Diana [Grade 1, $500,000 on July 17 at Saratoga Race Course] for both of our fillies.”
Sophie Chretien, traveling assistant to Charlie Appleby: “Things were not easy the last couple of weeks [after Rebel's Romance's situation] and we had to stay focused on our two fillies. They both have big hearts and I know they had a chance to run big. Everything turned out great. Sometime after the bad, you have the good, and here it is.”
Mike Smith, winning jockey aboard Althiqa (No. 8): “We laid midpack. She's got a big heart and she's very, very honest, so she's going to run good. You're just going to have to make a trip when it's time to move on. I was actually going to tip out, but she kind of leaned in like she wanted to drop to the fence, so I just let her. It was a small hole but [Appleby] told me she had a big heart, and she got on through there. She might suit American racing really well. We might want to keep her here.”
Luis Saez, jockey aboard runner-up Summer Romance (No. 9): “She ran pretty hard. I thought we were going to win. She never gave up. She came into the stretch running, and then Mike Smith came really fast. We just got caught. She never gave up and she tried to the wire.”
Manny Franco, jockey aboard third-place finisher Daddy is a Legend (No. 3): “I had a great trip; we never got stopped. I got the trip I wanted. I wanted to wait a little longer to make my move and that's what I did. The two fillies who beat me are nice and she made a good run.”
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