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Letruska Defeats Monomoy Girl In An Apple Blossom Thriller

Saturday's $1-million, Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap was billed as a match of North American champions Monomoy Girl and Swiss Skydiver, but a third champion – this one from Mexico – stole the show when Letruska re-rallied in deep stretch to snatch victory from Monomoy Girl by a nose in a stirring renewal of Oaklawn's major race for fillies and mares in Hot Springs, Ark.

Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Letruska – a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred Super Saver mare bred and owned by St. George Stables and trained by Fausto Gutierrez – set the pace in the Apple Blossom and was passed by Monomoy Girl in the stretch. But the winner of 12 previous races from 17 starts – including a trio of G3 events in the U.S. after being imported from Mexico – fought back gallantly for the win. She covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.13 and paid $8.80 as the third wagering choice.

Monomoy Girl, the 3-5 favorite and two-time champion (3-year-old filly in 2018 and older dirt mare in 2020), finished second. Swiss Skydiver, the champion 3-year-old filly in 2020, was a non-threatening third after racing close up early but bottled up along the inside. Getridofwhatailesu, like Monomoy Girl trained by Brad Cox, finished fourth in the field of six.

Monomoy Girl carried high weight of 124 pounds, conceding two pounds to Swiss Skydiver and six pounds to Letruska.

The defeat ended a six-race win streak for Monomoy Girl that included G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff victories in 2018 and 2020. Her last defeat was when finishing first but being disqualified for interference in the G1 Cotillion at Parx in 2018. The Apple Blossom was just the second time in 17 races she didn't cross the finish line ahead of her competition. That only other occurrence was when second to Road to Victory in the G2 Golden Rod Stakes as a 2-year-old in 2017.

Letruska was first seen in the U.S. when she won the Copa Invitational del Caribe Stakes at Gulfstream Park in December 2019, coming to this country undefeated in six starts in Mexico. Gutierrez eased the mare into graded stakes company, winning the G3 Shuvee at Saratoga in 2020 and adding the G3 Rampart at Gulfstream last December and then taking the G3 Houston Ladies Classic in January. She came off a narrow defeat to 2020 G1 Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil in the G2 Azeri at Oaklawn.

Letruska outran Swiss Skydiver for the early lead and set fractions of :23.56, :47.96 and 1:12.26 for the opening six furlongs with Monomoy Girl on her right flank most of the way. Monomoy Girl passed Letruska in the stretch, setting a one-mile fraction of 1.36.91, but Letruska fought back gamely for the win.

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Silver State Rolls To Fifth Consecutive Win In $1-Million Oaklawn Handicap

With six horses spread across the track at the eighth pole and a million dollars up for grabs, Saturday's Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap looked to be almost anyone's race. But Silver State was going the best of all and drew off for a half-length victory under Ricardo Santana Jr., winning for the fifth consecutive time for trainer Steve Asmussen but making it a graded stakes first for the Hard Spun 4-year-old owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing.

Sent away at 9-2 odds, Silver State covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.56 on a track upgraded to fast after being listed as good much of the day. He paid $11.40 for the win, his sixth in 10 career starts.

Todd Pletcher-trained Fearless, coming off a G2 victory in the Gulfstream Park Mile, finished second, with 9-5 favorite Express Train, who shipped in from Southern California for trainer John Shirreffs, a length back in third in the field of eight older horses. Pacesetter Warrior's Charge was fourth.

“We've always loved his talent level,” Asmussen said of Silver State. “The five-race win streak and putting it all together against such a talented field today, significant race, extremely pleased with him. The horse has been training really well. He's figured out winning. I think what we saw in the two races here previously, he chose to win. They were very competitive. Watching the races, just like today, I think that's made all the difference in him.”

Silver State was coming off a neck win in the $500,000 Essex Handicap and prior to that won the Fifth Season Stakes by a nose – both this year at Oaklawn. He began his streak with a seven-length allowance win last October at Keeneland, then added a November allowance/optional claiming race at Churchill Downs.

In the Oaklawn Handicap, Silver State carried 118 pounds, four fewer than highweighted Express Train.

Breaking from the rail, Silver State saved ground most of the trip racing in mid-pack as Warrior's Charge set fractions of :22.73, :47.06 and 1:11.67.

Santana tipped Silver State five wide into the stretch, and after passing the mile marker in 1:37.23, there were six runners within about a length of each other. Silver State emerged from the pack and went on to victory.

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Saez Guides Say The Word To Elkhorn Stakes Victory

Say the Word, a Grade 1 winner of the Northern Dancer Stakes for trainer Gail Cox at Woodbine last year, picked up his first victory since being transferred to California-based Phil D'Amato in Saturday's Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland racecourse in Lexington, Ky.

Ridden by Luis Saez, the 6-year-old son of More Than Ready defeated another 6-year-old turf veteran, Channel Cat, by 1 1/2 lengths while covering 1 1/2 miles in 2:28.26 on a course labeled “good.” Crafty Daddy finished a neck back in third, with Fantasioso fourth in the field of eight older horses.

Say the Word, who on Thursday was named champion turf male in Canada's Sovereign Awards, paid $7.20 as second wagering choice behind 2-1 favorite Tide of the Sea.

Say the Word raced in mid-pack in the early going as Tide of the Sea set the pace. He made a wide move running down the backstretch, reaching contention at the quarter pole, then drawing off late for the victory.

Bred by Sam-Son Farm, Say the Word joined D'Amato's stable after Mark Martinez bought into the horse from Sam-Son late last year in the name of his Agave Racing Stable. He ran three times for D'Amato prior to the Elkhorn, finishing third in the G2 Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar, 11th in the G1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park and second to United in the G3 San Luis Rey at Santa Anita.

The win was the sixth for Say the Word in 29 career starts. He was produced from the Giant's Causeway mare Danceforthecause.

Post-race quotes:

Luis Saez (winning rider of Say the Word): “He just found a good spot (on the backstretch), and he picked up the bridle. I didn't want to let him go too early, so I tried to relax him. When we came into the straight (on the run to the finish), he was pretty good. He took it away, and he won the race.”

Josh Flores (assistant to winning trainer Phil D'Amato, who is based at Santa Anita in California): “The only instructions I gave to Luis was just get him to settle early. For a second we were a little concerned when he picked up the bridle on his own. Luis did a great job to get him to settle. Down the lane, the horse really dug in and put up a good fight.”

Corey Lanerie (rider of runner-up Channel Cat): “We were forwardly placed right behind the favorite (Tide of the Sea). The eventual winner was right on my hip and I just could not hold him off. My horse ran great. Going a mile and a half, the pace might have been a little quicker than I thought we would be going, but he handled it the whole way.”

Jack Sisterson (trainer of Channel Cat): “He ran a very good race. We were optimistic going in to this race. We backed off since his last race (fifth in Jan. 23 William L. McKnight-G3 at Gulfstream Park). We decided to point to the Elkhorn here at Keeneland – this is home for him. If horses could talk, he was telling us he was going to run a big race. It was good to see him run back to the form he had when he was trained by Todd Pletcher.”

On Channel Cat's next race: “We might look at something like the Manhattan (G1 at Belmont Park June 5) or the United Nations (G1 at Monmouth Park July 17). I think he is better than a Grade 3 horse.”

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Brown Works Kentucky Oaks Candidate Search Results At Belmont

Klaravich Stables undefeated Search Results, last-out winner for trainer Chad Brown of the Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle on April 3 at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., worked a half-mile in 48.33 seconds Saturday on the Belmont Park main track in preparation for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on Friday, April 30, at Churchill Downs.

Brown said he was impressed with the work by Search Results, who breezed in company with New York-bred sophomore filly Teetotaler.

“She put in one of the best works I've seen from her, so I think she's come out of her last race in really good shape,” said Brown. “She went in 48 and change and did it really nicely. I thought she galloped out strong.”

The Flatter filly, a $310,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, has posted successive 92 Beyer Speed Figures, including a half-length score in the one-turn mile Busher Invitational on March 6 at the Big A ahead of her two-turn debut in the Gazelle.

“We were cautiously optimistic she could handle the two-turns but you never know until you see them do it,” said Brown, who conditioned Lewis Bay to a third-place finish in the 2016 Kentucky Oaks. “It was nice to see her do it so well and it gives us a lot of confidence going over to Churchill to run at the same mile and an eighth distance.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will retain the mount in the nine-furlong Kentucky Oaks.

The Klaravich Stables duo of Crowded Trade and Risk Taking worked in company through a half-mile in 47.55 Saturday on Big Sandy.

Both horses are exiting the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 3 where they finished third and seventh, respectively.

“Risk Taking took some dirt but he really didn't have any excuse, he just didn't fire,” said Brown. “Crowded Trade, he missed the break a bit, and that might have cost him a little bit but he had an opportunity to run down the lane and he ran really well.”

Brown said Crowded Trade is aiming towards a start in the Grade 1 Preakness, second leg of the Triple Crown, on May 15 at Pimlico Race Course. Brown captured the 2017 Preakness with Cloud Computing.

Boasting a perfect in-the-money record in three starts, Crowded Trade won at first asking in January at Aqueduct ahead of a narrow nose defeat to Weyburn in the one-turn mile Grade 3 Gotham in March. Last out, the More Than Ready chestnut closed well to be third in the Wood.

Risk Taking, a $240,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, captured the nine-furlong Grade 3 Withers in February at Aqueduct ahead of a seventh in the Wood Memorial as the post-time favorite. The Medaglia d'Oro bay is targeting a start in the Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan on May 8 at Belmont.

“They both seem to have bounced out of the Wood in fine shape,” said Brown . “We'll monitor them week to week, but they were moving well. I'm leaning towards the Preakness for Crowded Trade and with Risk Taking I'm leaning towards the Peter Pan.”

Brown will be represented in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby by Klaravich Stables' Highly Motivated, who will work at Keeneland on Sunday. The Into Mischief bay, a $240,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, graduated at second asking at Belmont in September ahead of winning the 6 1/2-furlong Nyquist at Keeneland in November.

Following a third in the Grade 3 Gotham in his seasonal debut, Highly Motivated gave likely Derby favorite Essential Quality a test in the Grade 2 Blue Grass on April 3 at Keeneland, battling the 2-year-old champion down the lane en route to a narrow neck loss.

“He'll work a half-mile at Keeneland tomorrow,” said Brown. “I thought he ran terrific in the Blue Grass and he came out of it good.”

Brown's previous Kentucky Derby starters include Good Magic [2nd, 2018], Practical Joke [5th, 2017], Shagaf [20th, 2016], My Man Sam [11th, 2016] and Normandy Invasion [4th, 2013].

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