Dropping out of a pair of Grade I races, Repole Stables and Todd Pletcher's Life Talk (Gun Runner) earned 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with an impressive win in the GII Demoiselle S.
Second by a head to future GISP Alys Beach (Omaha Beach) on debut, Life Talk came back with a 6 1/2-length win at second asking upstate in August. Unfortunately for daughter of Gun Runner, she then twice ran into likely 2-year-old filly champion Just F Y I (Justify) in both the GI Frizette S. (in which she finished third) and at last month's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies where she was fourth.
Always bet like a winner Saturday, Life Talk broke at even money under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and enjoyed a rail-hugging trip as the field stacked up six wide to her outside into the first turn. Most of All (Quality Road) kept pace a half-length back as the fillies sorted themselves out but the field of eight remained tightly bunched as the favorite handled the tempo through a :24.10 opening quarter. Kept just off the rail over a main track listed as muddy, Life Talk cruised up front into the far turn, shook off Most of All passing the quarter pole and was left to contend with a strong closing run from both Shimmering Allure (Enticed) and Dolomite (Unified) to her outside. Shimmering Allure got closest but Life Talk was up to the task and kicked away again into the final sixteenth, opening up to the wire to win in front-running fashion.
“Obviously, [the good break] was all Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] and Todd [Pletcher] coming up with a game plan,” said Amelia Green, assistant to winning trainer Todd Pletcher. “With how the track's playing today, you need to get position and like Irad said, she warmed up good and he made the most of it. No one else wanted the lead, so he made the most of that situation. She seemed happy out there and did everything very professionally.”
“It is great to see her back in this performance,” added Irad Ortiz, Jr. “Because it was a great race [in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies], she ran so good to get beat last time. She got beat by three lengths and she come back maybe a little quick after that tough race, flies back all the way here but we have a great team, they all do a great job, the assistants and the trainer. She was one hundred percent.”
Pedigree Note:
The 26th stakes winner and 19th graded winner for sire Gun Runner, Life Talk is out of a winning Bernardini mare who has produced two other winners from as many to race. As a broodmare sire, Darley's late stallion Bernardini has sired the dams of 82 stakes winner. The dam, a half-sister to GSW Indian Firewater (Indian Charlie), saw her yearling Maclean's Music filly bring $140,000 in January's Keeneland Horses of All Ages Sale while her wealing Bolt d'Oro filly brought a final bid of $250,000 last month at Keeneland November. Touchy Feely is due on a cover to Cyberknife in 2024.
Saturday, Aqueduct
DEMOISELLE S.-GII, $250,000, Aqueduct, 12-2, 2yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:51.10, my.
1–LIFE TALK, 118, f, 2, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Touchy Feely, by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Touched, by Touch Gold
3rd Dam: Bay Barrister, by Miswaki
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($160,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $335,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable; B-Gun Runner Syndicate, Mulholland Springs LLC & Tom Grether Farms Inc. (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.. $137,500. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-1, $364,250. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Shimmering Allure, 120, f, 2, Enticed–Shimmering Tale, by Wild Again. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($40,000 Ylg '22 FTKJUL). O-Walking L Thoroughbreds, LLC; B-Clifton Farm, LLC (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $50,000.
3–Dolomite, 118, f, 2, Unified–Sunset Ridge, by Algorithms.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Alpha Delta Stables, LLC (NY); T-Chad C. Brown. $30,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, 1, 8 1/4. Odds: 1.00, 5.20, 8.50.
Also Ran: Most of All, Caldwell Luvs Gold, Vino Rouge, Ringy Dingy, Cozee Rags. Scratched: Caress.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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