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Tapit Firster ‘Rises’ To the Occasion at Churchill

Essential Quality (Tapit) overcame some mid-stretch traffic trouble and shot away from his rivals to easily capture Saturday’s fourth race at Churchill Downs and earn ‘TDN Rising Star’ status in the process.

Bet into 19-10 favoritism in what appeared to be a strong race on paper, the Godolphin homebred broke without incident and settled in about sixth position down the backstretch racing in about the four path. Sent along to split horses at the 2 1/2-furlong pole, he was full of run, but was forced to steady sharply while short of room three-sixteenths of a mile out. Shaun Bridgmohan was able to get him out of jail and off the canvas at the furlong grounds, and Essential Quality did the rest, accelerating to score by four lengths in the finish.

Essential Quality’s MSW and GSP dam is a daughter of Contrive (Storm Cat), whose daughter Folklore (Tiznow) won the 2005 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Belmont Park. Contrive was purchased by Godolphin for $3 million in foal to Pleasantly Perfect at the 2005 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The 11-year-old Delightful Quality is the dam of a yearling colt by Uncle Mo, was barren to the same stallion for 2020 and was bred to Uncle Mo’s Darley-based Nyquist this past season.

Essential Quality is bred on the cross over Gone West that is responsible for Tapit’s Grade I winner Zazu and additional graded winners Flashback, Bandbox, Ticonderoga and Golden Hawk.

4th-Churchill Downs, $98,670, Msw, 9-5, 2yo, 6f, 1:09.98, ft.
ESSENTIAL QUALITY, c, 2, by Tapit
1st Dam: Delightful Quality (GSP, $253,900), by Elusive Quality
2nd Dam: Contrive, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Jeano, by Fappiano
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,144. O/B-Godolphin LLC (KY); T-Brad H Cox. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Déjà Vu: Shedaresthedevil Springs 15-1 Upset For Cox, Geroux In Kentucky Oaks

Nothing is quite the same in 2020, and horse racing has been no exception. Churchill Downs' cavernous, nearly empty grandstands stood watch over Friday's Kentucky Oaks, delayed from the first Friday in May to September by the global coronavirus pandemic.

Fans may not have been present this year, but trainer Brad Cox must have felt a strong sense of déjà vu when he saddled Staton Flurry and Qatar Racing's Shedaresthedevil to post a 15-1 upset in the 3-year-old fillies' classic. Just one race prior, Cox had sent out his 2018 Kentucky Oaks winner Monomoy Girl to win the Grade 1 La Troienne.

“This is why you wake up every morning to get to win races like this,” Cox said. “This filly has been really impressive coming into the race and when she breezed with Monomoy Girl a couple weeks ago, we knew how well she was training. There were some tough fillies in the Oaks this year with Swiss Skydiver and Gamine. We are so thrilled to win a race like this, again, in our backyard. This has been a phenomenal day with Monomoy Girl winning the La Troienne then winning the Oaks with Shedaresthedevil. These are the days you dream of.”

Jockey Florent Geroux rode both champion Monomoy Girl and Shedaresthedevil to victory on Friday, and booted home a total of four winners on the Kentucky Oaks card.

“She had a great trip,” said Geroux. “She broke very sharp and I was able to stalk Gamine all the way. That was the plan, but sometimes plans don't always work out. Perfect plan today. The only question was whether or not I was going to be able to run her down. My filly ran an amazing race. It's been an amazing day.”

Shedaresthedevil came into the Oaks with wins in three of her five starts this year, but her long odds reflected the fact that she hadn't been successful against the division's top contenders. Her wins came in the G3 Indiana Oaks, an allowance race, and the G3 Honeybee, while she'd been beaten 13 1/4 lengths by Kentucky Oaks rival Swiss Skydiver in Oaklawn's G3 Fantasy Stakes back in May.

“We've taken the conservative route with this filly, kind of dodged the bullets,” Flurry explained. “We did that with the hope that we'd have a fresh horse for this.”

The strategy seems to have worked out, as Shedaresthedevil pulled away to win the Kentucky Oaks by 1 1/2 lengths. It was also the fastest Kentucky Oaks in history as Shedaresthedevil ran 1 1/8 miles over the fast main track in 1:48.28, besting Bird Town's 2003 time of 1:48.64.

A total of nine 3-year-old fillies lined up for the nine-furlong contest, including the supremely talented Gamine, who'd won her last two races by a combined total of over 35 lengths. Gamine went off at odds of 3-5, while G1 Alabama winner Swiss Skydiver, who'd also earned 40 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby by facing males in the G3 Blue Grass Stakes, was the second choice at 5-2.

As expected, the speedy Gamine went straight to the lead from post position five, and Swiss Skydiver pushed through from her position on the rail to try to be second. Shedaresthedevil broke to her left, and muscled her way over to keep pace pressure on Gamine through the early stages, keeping Swiss Skydiver boxed in on the inside.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez kept a tight hold on Gamine through a first quarter in 23.39 seconds, but Geroux also had Shedaresthedevil under a good hold just a length off the leader. Swiss Skydiver and Tyler Gaffalione were at the rail in third, while Donna Veloce tried to push her way into contention between rivals in fourth.

Just after the half-mile in :47.92, Velazquez left the rail open for a few strides and Gaffalione tried to send Swiss Skydiver on through. He didn't make the gap and Velazquez aimed Gamine back at the rail, causing Gaffalione to check and wait for the overland route along the outside.

That veteran move by Velazquez gave Geroux an opportunity with Shedaresthedevil, and he took full advantage, getting first run on Gamine around the far turn. Swiss Skydiver ended up swinging three-wide at the head of the lane, but Shedaresthedevil had already set her sights on the passing Gamine and hitting the wire first.

Shedaresthedevil dug in to put away Gamine by the three-sixteenths pole, then held of the late bid from Swiss Skydiver on her outside to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Gamine checked in third, while Speech got up to finish fourth. The remaining order of finish was: Tempers Rising, Hopeful Growth, Bayerness, Donna Veloce, and Dream Marie.

Trainer Ken McPeek wasn't displeased with the effort from runner-up Swiss Skydiver.

“She ran super,” McPeek said. “That other filly (Shedaresthedevil) has been training extremely well. I've been watching her. Tyler (Gaffalione) rode her good. That's horse racing. There's no guarantees. She's been training super. I actually wasn't as worried about Gamine as I was about another filly running a bang-up race. That's what happened.”

Meanwhile, Hall of Famer Bob Baffert had been hoping for a stronger return to two-turn racing for the super-talented Gamine.

“She hadn't gone long and we can always second guess ourselves,” Baffert lamented. “Maybe I should have run her longer or whatever. But the winner was tough, you have to give her credit.

“(Gamine) just didn't have it. Turning for home, she was in a good spot and she was late switching leads and she never does that. I don't know if she just got tired or whatever. But down the backside he couldn't have been any better, he was in the perfect spot. She just didn't have it there.”

Shedaresthedevil (center, maroon cap) out-finishes both Swiss Skydiver (left) and Gamine (right) to win the Kentucky Oaks

Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Shedaresthedevil is out of the winning Congrats mare Starship Warpspeed. Initially sold for $100,000 as a weanling at the Keeneland November sale, the filly returned and did not meet her reserve when bidding stopped at $20,000 at the following year's Keeneland September sale.

Entered in race training with Norm Casse, Shedaresthedevil won on debut and was the first winner for her freshman sire, Daredevil, in June of 2019 at Churchill Downs. Qatar Racing purchased an interest in the filly and she was sent to west coast trainer Simon Callaghan, for whom she ran third in the G2 Sorrento, fourth in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, and second in the Anoakia Stakes.

Sent back through the Keeneland November sale at the end of her juvenile season, Shedaresthedevil brought a final bid of $280,000 from Staton Flurry, and Qatar Racing stayed in for the ride. The filly was sent to trainer Brad Cox, and kicked off her sophomore year with a second-place finish to stablemate Bonny South in an allowance at Oaklawn Park. She added the pair of graded stakes wins to her resume over the course of 2020, and the Kentucky Oaks win improves her overall record to 5-2-2 from 10 starts for earnings of over $1.2 million.

“As bad as 2020's been for everybody, this makes it a little bit better, for us,” Flurry said from the winner's circle.

Co-owner Staton Flurry celebrates with friends after Shedaresthedevil brings home the Kentucky Oaks trophy

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Gulfstream: Smile Sprint Headlines Saturday’s $200,000 Guaranteed Rainbow 6

The $100,000 Smile Sprint (G3) will kick off a Labor Day Weekend slate of seven stakes at Gulfstream Park Saturday while headlining the six-race sequence for the Rainbow 6, the popular multi-race wager that will offer a guaranteed jackpot pool of $200,000.

The sequence for the Rainbow 6 will span Races 7-12 and will include the $75,000 Bear's Den in Race 8 and the $75,000 Miss Gracie in Race 10, as well as the Smile in Race 11. First-race post time is set for noon.

Cool Arrow, a career winner of more than $500,000, has been installed as the even-money favorite for the Smile, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up. The Terri Pompay-trained 6-year-old gelding is coming off back-to-back victories, including a dominating 4 ½-length triumph in the Opening Lead Stakes last time out. Kathy Ritvo-trained Double Crown will also be seeking his third straight victory while coming off back-to-back stakes scores in the Roar and the Carry Back at Gulfstream.

Ruben Gracida-trained Monforte, who finished second in the Aug. 8 Not Surprising while coming off a six-month layoff, is rated as the 7-5 morning-line favorite for the Bear's Den, a 7 ½-furlong turf stakes for 3-year-olds and up. Monforte, who had won his four previous races, will be challenged by Cadet Connelly, a Grade 1 stakes-placed 3-year-old gelding, and Sassy But Smart, who is slated to make his first start since finishing a close fourth in the Feb. 29 Palm Beach (G3) at Gulfstream.

Mark Casse-trained Mo of the West will go for his third win in a row while making her stakes debut in the Miss Gracie, a 7 ½-furlong turf stakes for fillies and mares.

Labor Day Weekend stakes action will continue on Sunday with the running of the $75,000 Benny the Bull and the $75,000 Sheer Drama and on Monday with the $75,000 Mr. Steel and the $75,000 Monroe.

The Rainbow 6 went unsolved for the third racing day in a row Friday, when multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $7,412.80.

Saturday's Rainbow 6 will have a guaranteed pool of $200,000 and will include the $100,000 Smile Sprint (G3), $75,000 Miss Gracie and $75,000 Bear's Den. The Miss Gracie and Bear's Ben will be contested on the turf.

There will also be a Super Hi-5 carryover of $1,761.30.

The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

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By My Standards Shows Grit In Alysheba Stakes Victory

After finishing second in two of his three career starts at Churchill Downs, the fourth time was the charm for By My Standards, who turned away a calvary charge of some of the older male division's runners on Friday to win the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes.

The 4-year-old son of Goldencents sat calmly to the outside of pacesetter Mr Freeze, who led the field through an opening quarter in :25.71 seconds, with McKinzie, Owendale, and Silver Dust all remaining within striking distance. By My Standards remained attached to the outside hip of Mr Freeze as they approached the final turn in a leisurely :49.93, and then under jockey Gabriel Saez, By My Standards began to lodge a challenge for the lead as the front duo turned for home.

By My Standards entered the stretch with the lead, with Mr Freeze conceding on the inside path, Owendale looming on the outside, and McKinzie diving in to attempt splitting horses. Both Owendale and McKinzie loomed as threats to By My Standards, who changed leads on multiple occasions in the stretch, but an aggressive ride by Saez and a right-handed whip to keep the horse on task saw the colt find another gear and draw off from his rivals to prevail by 1 3/4 lengths. Owendale carried on from a wide trip to finish second, edging out a late-gaining Silver dust, while McKinzie finished fourth.

By My Standards completed 1 1/16-mile race in 1:42.24 over a fast main track for owner Allied Racing Stable and trainer Bret Calhoun. He paid $5 to win as the post time favorite.

The victory was worth $245,520 and increased By My Standards' earnings to $1,764,430 record of 12-6-4-1.

It was a successful reunion for By My Standards and Saez, who rode the colt for each of his first nine starts, but wasn't aboard for his two most recent efforts, both runner-up finishes. The pair have won all four starts together this year, including the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic Stakes and G2 Oaklawn Handicap.

It was also a bit of redemption in the colt's Churchill Downs resume. By My Standards finished second in his debut start at Churchill Downs in November of his juvenile season in 2018, then returned a year later to finish 12th in the Kentucky Derby. Earlier this year, he ran second in the G2 Stephen Foster Stakes.

Bred in Kentucky by Don Ladd, By My Standards is out of the Grade 2-placed stakes-winning Muqtarib mare A Jealous Woman. He was a $150,000 purchase out of the 2018 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

See the full chart here.

ALYSHEBA QUOTES, courtesy of the Churchill Downs media office

Gabriel Saez (winning rider, By My Standards) — “A little bit out of the gate, I see (Manny) Franco trying to get going (on Mr Freeze). I said, 'OK, he's going to go. I'm going to stay in here close. It was not really fast on the front end, but when it was time to get running around the half-mile pole, he picked up an extra gear. Each time I asked him to give me that acceleration, he did. I was really confident in him today. I was expecting him to run a huge race today, and here we are. I'm glad we got the job done. I'm looking forward to the Breeders' Cup. Fingers crossed and hope for the best.”

Bret Calhoun (winning trainer, By My Standards) – “Winning a race like this at Churchill is always special for our entire team. This horse got in some interesting pace scenarios in the last two starts and today Gabe (Saez) gave him the perfect ride and sat a perfect trip the entire way around there. It's kind of weird to think the Alysheba is a prep for the Breeders' Cup Classic (GI) but we're going to go with it and hope to get there in November.”

Brad Cox (trainer, Owendale, second) — “There was no pace. I didn't really know what to expect. Going into it, I didn't think there was going to be much pace on paper and then obviously there was none. I am finding out about this horse … that he doesn't really like kickback. He likes being out in the clear. He'll run, but he's not going to take it over the span of 5-6 furlongs and then expect to run on. He ran good, I was proud of the effort. He was beaten by a very, very good horse here. After the last race here (fifth in the Grade II Stephen Foster on June 27), I was kind of wondering where we belong in the handicap division and he put himself back in the mix. Very pleased, I was glad he got it turned around. Just his third race this year so hopefully we'll see what happens coming out of this.”

Adam Beschizza (rider, Silver Dust, third) – “He ran his usual solid performance. I'm delighted for Bret (Calhoun). He's been looking for redemption for a while with that horse (By My Standards). Silver Dust (also trained by Calhoun) is always knocking on the door. He always brings home a check. I'm sure his day is right around the corner.”

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