Blame Debbie Brings Home Searching Stakes At Pimlico

Running 12 furlongs off a 200-day layoff over a turf course that absorbed several days of rain proved no obstacle for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Cloonan, and Tim Thornton's Blame Debbie in a front-running 3 ½-length triumph in Sunday's $100,000 Searching Stakes at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, M.D.

The 11th running of the 1 ½-mile Searching for fillies and mares 3 and up on the grass, back on the Maryland stakes calendar after being lost during a pandemic-shortened 2020 schedule, was the first of five stakes worth $475,000 in purses on the 10-race program.

Following the Searching were the $100,000 Prince George's County Stakes on turf, $100,000 Shine Again Stakes featuring undefeated multiple stakes winner Chub Wagon, and $100,000 Stormy Blues Stakes and $75,000 Ben's Cat Stakes, both five-furlong sprints moved from the grass to the main track.

Ridden by Victor Carrasco for trainer Graham Motion, Blame Debbie ($6.20) completed the distance in 2:38.50 over a turf course rated good. Luck Money, the 6-5 favorite, got past Crystalle nearing the wire for second, and was followed by Whatdoesasharksay, Breviary, and Proper Storm. Beautiful Lover and Scatrattleandroll were scratched.

Motion also won a division of the 2000 Searching Stakes with Confessional when the race was held at Laurel Park.

“Pimlico is my local track. I love running here. This is where we like to run,” Motion said. “And to have a stake like this, there's less and less of these distance stakes around, so it was just such a good opportunity to get started this year.”

By Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Blame, Blame Debbie crossed the wire first in three consecutive races last year but was disqualified to third for interference in a Kentucky Downs allowance in September. She followed up with back-to-back wins at Keeneland in a 1 1/8-mile allowance and the 1 ½-mile Grade 3 Dowager Stakes, the latter going gate-to-wire and holding on by a head.

Blame Debbie hadn't run since being beaten 2 ¾ lengths when fifth following a troubled trip in the 1 3/8-mile Grade 3 Red Carpet Handicap Nov. 26 at Del Mar.

“Once she broke sharp and Victor found himself on the lead, he did a perfect job of slowing it down best he could and she got away with some pretty good fractions,” Motion said. “I think know that she's won to pretty decent stakes going 1 1/2 mile this is probably her preferred distance. I think she'll go 1 1/8, 1 ¼ mile but I really think she is a marathoner, especially when she gets fractions like she did today.”

With only Luck Money and Breviary to her outside, Blame Debbie inherited the lead and set a deliberate pace of 27.63 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 55.29 for the half, tracked by Luck Money racing in between Whatdoesasharksay and Breviary. Carrasco didn't move on Blame Debbie until the field entered the stretch a second time, setting her down for a drive to the wire.

“Just like we talked about. [Motion] said, 'Victor, I don't see much speed so if they let you go and you relax, go for it. But if you see somebody go, she doesn't need to be on the lead,'” Carrasco said. “We planned on going and she didn't fight me much the first part. Once we passed the first wire and I peeked to the screen and I saw 27 and 55 [seconds], I was just thinking in my mind, 'This race is over.' Once we turned for home and I got after her, she just opened up and rode away from the field.”

Searching, a 1978 Hall of Fame inductee, was a bay daughter of 1937 Triple Crown champion War Admiral bred by Odgen Phipps that won the Gallorette Stakes at Pimlico in 1955 and 1957 for trainer Hirsch Jacobs, retiring with a record of 25-14-16 with $327,381 in purse earnings from 89 starts. As a broodmare, Searching also enjoyed great success with offspring such as Affectionately, an 18-time stakes winner and dam of 1970 Preakness winner Personality, and Admiring, the grand-dam of 1993 Kentucky Derby winner Sea Hero.

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Blame Debbie Wins Stretch Duel With Always Shopping In Marathon Dowager At Keeneland

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Cloonan and Tim Thornton's Blame Debbie held off Always Shopping through a stretch-long duel by a head to win the 29th running of the $125,000 Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3) for fillies and mares Sunday afternoon at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

Trained by Graham Motion and ridden by Manny Franco, Blame Debbie covered the 1 1/2 miles on a firm turf course in 2:34.74 and became the first 3-year-old to win the race.

Blame Debbie is cataloged to Keeneland's November Breeding Stock Sale, which begins Nov. 9. Consigned as a racing or broodmare prospect by Bluewater Sales, agent, she is Hip 1310.

Today's victory in the Rood & Riddle Dowager is the third in the race for Motion, who previously triumphed with Kitten's Point in 2015 and Humaita (GER) in 2004.

Blame Debbie went right to the front with Always Shopping tracking just off her flank to the outside through fractions of :26.66, :53.68, 1:20.68 and 1:46.98.

On the far turn, Tyler Gaffalione on Always Shopping turned up the pressure and drew alongside Blame Debbie. The two ran as a team the rest of the way with Blame Debbie never letting her older rival get in front.

“She was so nice and so game in the lead,” said Franco. “I think she felt that other horse (Always Shopping) coming by the five-sixteenths pole to the wire. She never let that one pass her. I was really pleased. I was riding to the wire, and she responded to me the whole way.”

Gaffalione, aboard the runner-up, said: “We went pretty easy early on in the race. There wasn't much speed so I figured it would be a sprint to the wire. My filly just couldn't get her nose in front but she put in a big effort today.”

The victory was worth $75,000 and increased Blame Debbie's earnings to $215,920 with a record of 10-3-1-3. It is the first stakes victory for the Kentucky-bred daughter of Blame out of the Invasor (ARG) mare Jadwa. She is a graduate of Keeneland's 2018 September Yearling Sale.

Sent off as the favorite, Blame Debbie paid $5, $3.20 and $2.60. Always Shopping returned $4 and $2.80 and finished 2¼ lengths in front of With Dignity, who paid $2.60 to show under Julien Leparoux.

It was another half-length back to Over Thinking, who was followed in order by Siberian Iris (IRE) and Naomi Broadway (BRZ).

The final four days of the 17-day Fall Meet kick off Wednesday afternoon with an eight-race program beginning at 1:05 ET.

Keeneland will offer a Super High 5 carryover of $24,224.49.

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