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Miss Important Remains Unbeaten At Grants Pass Downs

Miss Important caught Jaded Tiger in the final strides for a half-length victory in Monday's $14,600 Siskiyou Stakes for older fillies and mares on opening night of the 18-day fall season at Grants Pass Downs.

Under a perfectly timed ride by David Martin, Miss Important ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:06.92 and paid $6.80 as the betting favorite. Billy Christian is the trainer for winning owner Bern Kent of Yakima, Wash.

A 4-year-old Graydar filly, Miss Important is now four for four at Grants Pass Downs including stakes scores in the Shady Cove Handicap, Jo Durham Memorial and Siskiyou Stakes. Kent claimed the bay filly for $10,000 out of her Grants Pass debut on May 24.

In seventh place early, Miss Important began passing horses on the backstretch, reached contention on the turn and reeled in Xtrafine Xtina and Jaded Tiger late for the victory.

Martin, now three for three on Miss Important, had the filly farther behind than normal Monday.

“She got bumped at the break, but she relaxed well and there was some speed in the race,” Martin said. “I was quiet on her early but when I asked her, she responded. (Miss Important) is a nice filly.”

Miss Important has demonstrated excellent versatility in her career, recording wins sprinting and routing, as well as on dirt, synthetic and wet racing surfaces. Her overall record is 6-1-2 in 16 starts with earnings of $92,388, including $8,030 for Monday's triumph.

Jaded Tiger nearly bagged her eighth victory of 2021. Ridden by Joree Scriver, the 4-year-old Smiling Tiger filly overhauled Xtrafine Xtina into the stretch run and just failed to last for the victory.

Xtrafine Xtina, ridden by James Wooten Jr., dueled with Hold That Smile through fractions of :21.61 and :46.46, gained a short lead on the turn, but weakened slightly in the stretch and finished third. Mean Sharon, Hold That Smile, Barbello, Chase the Music and Madigan Squeeze completed the order of finish.

On-track attendance was 475 and the total handle was $309,400.

NOTES: David Martin swept the late daily double on Miss Important ($6.80) and Shesaidshesperfect ($17.40). . .Alex Anaya also rode two winners—one Quarter Horse and one Thoroughbred. . .Anaya currently ranks sixth with 23 wins at Emerald Downs. . . Monday's first and third races were $8,000 allowances for older quarter horses at 300 yards. In race one, Warhock ($18.20) upset 2 to 5 favorite Cm Boom Shakalaka while running 300 yards in 15.23 seconds. Anaya rode the winner for trainer Benito Curiel and owner Malon Cowgill. In race three, Arizona Favorite ($4.40) and jockey Martin Osuna prevailed in 15.31 seconds for trainer Hector Magallanes and owners Kevin and Robin Allred. . .2020 Grants Pass Mile champion Pulpits Power ($4.80) held off Shockazulu for a hard-fought victory in race five, with two-time defending riding champion Joree Scriver scoring her first win of the meet. . .Two-time defending training champ Quinn Howey went one for one opening night as Gray Gem ($5) rolled to an easy victory under Mckenzie King in race six. . .The 2021 spring/summer meet continues Tuesday with an eight-race program at 5:15 p.m. , including El Alto Hombre attempting to win his seventh straight race this year in the $14,600 Applegate Stakes for 3-year-olds and up.

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Horse-For-Course Dream Marie Upsets Obeah Stakes

Miracles International Trading's Dream Marie posted an upset victory in the $100,000 Obeah Stakes at Delaware Park today. The Obeah is the local prep for the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap to be run on July 10th.

With Joe Bravo aboard, the 4-year-old daughter of Graydar won by a 1 3/4-lengths and returned $19.40 in the field of seven. Miss Marissa, with Daniel Centeno, finished second. It was another a 2-lengths farther back to Market Rumor, with Chris Landeros., in third. The 6-to-5 favorite, Bajan Girl with Paco Lopez, finished fourth. Dream Marie covered the mile and a sixteenth in 1:44.40 on a sloppy main track.

The Obeah Stakes was the first career stakes victory for the Kentucky-bred conditioned by Matthew Williams. She raised her career record to five wins from 20 starts with earnings of $297,420.

Last year, Dream Marie teamed up with jockey Joe Bravo for a second-place finish in Delaware Oaks at odds of 9-to-1.

“She really likes this course,” said winning jockey Joe Bravo. “The last time she was on this course she was a very game second a heart-beat from winning. Today, as I was expecting, when she turned for home, she really kicked off nicely.”

Trainer Matthew Williams was never discouraged after her previous race when she ran fifth at Gulfstream Park on May 7 and he has the Delaware Handicap under consideration for her.

“She really likes being here at Delaware,” said winning trainer Matthew Williams. “She ran really well here last year and she was only beaten a half-length. She has been training really well. In her last race, she finished last but that was against boys. In that race she ran the time I was expecting because I was not expecting the winner to run in 1:34, but even in that race I thought she ran the race we were expecting. It did not end the way we wanted, but she was off for three months and she trained really well since then. The Delaware Handicap is definitely a consideration. It is a mile and a quarter, so we have to think about it, but she really likes it here at Delaware, so we got a lot to think about.”

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Young, Jamaican-Born Trainer Williams Will Saddle His ‘Dream’ In Monmouth Oaks

It would be more than understandable if Matthew J. Williams was feeling a bit anxious as he prepares to send out Dream Marie in Saturday's Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks, the feature race on Monmouth Park's 13-race card.

He's 24, has just two years of experience as a trainer, has never won a stakes race, and boasts the grand total of 64 starters to this point in his career.

And the nine-horse field of 3-year-old fillies for the 96th edition of the Monmouth Oaks features horses from the barns of Todd Pletcher, Steve Asmussen and Arnaud Delacour.

But Williams says he is able to stay calm as he takes aim at what would be the biggest victory of his young career because he keeps reminding himself of one thing.

“It's the horses running, not us,” he said. “That's a good thing.”

With the top six finishers back from the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks on July 4, as well as fourth-place Acorn Stakes finisher Lucrezia, the Oaks field has several accomplished fillies. Dream Marie, off her second-place finish to Project Whiskey in the Delaware Oaks, where she was beaten a half-length, certainly fits.

“She made a really big run in the Delaware Oaks,” said Williams. “I thought she was going to win coming out of the turn but Project Whiskey (trained by Butch Reid) really dug in. But my filly ran a good race.

“We're hoping we can turn the tables on Project Whiskey but Lucrezia is a horse that I have a lot of respect for, too. She finished ahead of us in the (Grade 2) Gulfstream Park Oaks and I saw her win a 2-year-old stakes race at Tampa and she was really impressive that day.”

Williams, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, currently has five horses he trains, all owned by his family's Miracles International Trading Inc. stable, and has been Gulfstream Park-based since launching his training career.

His transition to training in the United States has been seamless because of his background.

“My grandfather had a stud farm in Jamaica,” Williams said. “He was a champion breeder for 10 years in Jamaica. He had a lot of Jamaican Classic winners and bred a Triple Crown winner in Jamaica. So growing up I was always involved with horses.”

Dream Marie signaled her arrival as a potential stakes winner after winning a $50,000 starter allowance at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 14, Williams said, following that up with a win in a $75,000 optional claimer on Jan. 20. Williams then decided to try her in the Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream on Feb. 29.

The daughter of Graydar-Lin Marie by Curlin finished third that day.

“It was time to take a shot with her,” Williams said. “I think she ran well. A couple of things could have gone differently in the race but she ran well. Two good fillies beat her.”

When Dream Marie finished second on May 15 in the Hollywood Wildcat at the Monmouth Oaks distance of a mile and a sixteenth, Williams targeted the Delaware Oaks and Monmouth Oaks for his filly.

Purchased for $25,000 at the OBS March sale in 2019, Dream Marie sports a 3-2-1 line from 10 career starts with lifetime earnings of $150,160.

Joe Bravo is staying aboard, too, after having the mount in the Delaware Oaks.

“It feels good to have Joe want to ride her again,” Williams said. “I don't think any rider is as familiar with a racetrack as Joe is with Monmouth Park.”

For Williams, Dream Marie would be appropriately named if she happens to win Saturday.

“Winning my first stakes race, and my first graded stakes, would mean a lot,” Williams said. “It's something I have dreamed about when I was watching U.S. races on TV in Jamaica. It means a lot to me just to see my name among some of the trainers in this race so winning it would really be something special for me.”

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