Factor This Gives Cox, Geroux Second Win On The Day In Dinner Party

Gaining Ground Racing's Factor This continued his strong season in 2020 on Saturday with a front-running victory in the Grade 2 Dinner Party Stakes at Pimlico. It was the second win on the Preakness Stakes undercard for trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux. The 5-year-old son of The Factor was off as the 4-5 favorite in the field of seven, and pulled away to win by three lengths in a final time time of 1:46.17 over the yielding turf course.

Breaking from the outside post, Factor This was able to get to the lead and the rail before the clubhouse turn. Geroux guided him through fractions of :24.28 and :48.74, maintaining a one-length advantage until mid-way up the backstretch.

Irish Strait moved up to pressure the leader, within a half-length at the five-eighths pole, while Somelikeithotbrown was trapped down on the rail through much of the early going. In the far turn, Irish Strait dropped back and Somelikeithotbrown was able to angle out to take aim on the leading Factor This.

Somelikeithotbrown got within a length of Factor This, but could not get by the determined frontrunner and yielded in the final sixteenth of a mile. At the finish, it was Factor This in front by about three lengths as Somelikeithotbrown settled for second. Hembree got up for third, while Doctor Mounty was fourth.

Bred in Kentucky by Maccabee Farm, Factor This is out of the Singspiel mare Capricious Miss. He was a $2,700 yearling at the Keeneland September sale, then brought a final bid of $11,000 at the OBS April sale the following spring. Factor This didn't win his first stakes race until his 4-year-old season, and earned a first graded victory early in 2020. This year, the horse has won five of his seven starts, all in stakes company.

Overall, Factor This has earned over $1.2 million with a career record of 12-4-4 from 32 starts.

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Wicked Whisper, Bravo Team Up For Miss Preakness Stakes Victory

Winless since her victory in the Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont Park nearly one year ago, Alex and JoAnn Lieblong's Wicked Whisper got a ground-saving trip from Joe Bravo, came off the rail at the furlong pole, then ran down frontrunning Ain't No Elmers to win Saturday's Grade 3 Miss Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

Ain't No Elmers finished second, beaten one length after setting all the fractions, with Sound Machine third, another three-quarters of a length back, and 1-2 favorite Mundaye Call fourth in the field of seven 3-year-old fillies.

Wicked Whisper ran the six furlongs on a fast track in 1:10.36 and paid $12.60 for the win, her third in six career starts.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Wicked Whisper is from the first crop by Liam's Map out of the Bernardini mare Zayanna. She was bred in Kentucky by Siena Farms and sold for $500,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Fly On Angel and Angel Cruz broke on top, but Gabriel Saez sent Ain't No Elmers through on the inside to take command in the run down the backstretch, the opening quarter mile in :23.08. Wicked Whisper sat just behind the top pair on the inside after a half mile in :45.78, awaiting racing room as the field turned into the stretch.

A patient Bravo swung Wicked Whisper off the rail when seeing an opening after five furlongs in :57.97, and the Liam's Map filly took command from Ain't No Elmers in the final sixteenth of a mile to win going away.

“You just can't draw them up to be any better than that,” said Bravo. “She broke good. The only thing I was really told was 'make sure you pay attention to her leaving the gate. She's been having trouble getting away from there.' When she broke so cleanly it was like the pressure got off me. She was able to breathe around the turn. I know the '5' horse (Mundaye Call) is a very good filly, but all horses relaxed and it just gave me all the confidence.”

Mundaye Call raced in the clear to the outside of Wicked Whisper for the opening three furlongs, made a three-wide bid on the turn and lacked any stretch punch.

Wicked Whisper captured the 2019 Frizette  after a stylish debut at Saratoga, winning a maiden special weight race by 6 1/4 lengths. She ran fifth at 7-2 in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies to wrap up her 2019 campaign, then finished a well-beaten fourth going seven furlongs in the G3 Beaumont Stakes on July 10 in her 2020 debut at Keeneland. Wicked Whisper ran a good second to Fly On Angel in most recent start, the G3 Charles Town Oaks on Aug. 28, then returned to the Asmussen stable in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to train up to the Miss Preakness.

“She's been definitely interrupted by this year's racing calendar,” said Asmussen. “She was getting ready late for things and then with the cancellations, we got off track. It's beautiful to see her show the quality that she's always had. Joe gave her a great trip today. There are big things in her future.”

Trainer Bret Calhoun said the inside post position did not work in Ain't No Elmers' favor.

“It probably wasn't the best post to have, but she ran great and did everything to win,” Calhoun said. “She got pressed the whole way and that's the difference between an inside and outside post and being a presser instead of a pressee.”

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Several French Tracks Cancel Sunday Cards, ParisLongchamp Still Greenlit

Several racecourses have cancelled their Sunday cards due to the heavy rains and storms sweeping across France, Equidia reported on Saturday. A trotting card at Cazaubon was cancelled and rescheduled for Sunday, Oct. 12, while a mixed card at Vitre has been postponed for a yet-to-be-determined date. Saint-Brieuc’s Thoroughbred card was also cancelled. The Arc card at ParisLongchamp on Sunday is still being held.

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