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Remembering Harriet Sue, The First Filly To Contest The Blue Grass Stakes

Peter Callahan's multiple graded stakes winner Swiss Skydiver is the first filly to race in Keeneland's most famous race, the Toyota Blue Grass (G2), since 1944 – long before corporate sponsorship entered Thoroughbred racing but a year similar to 2020 because of adjustments to Keeneland's Spring Meet.

That first Blue Grass filly was Harriet Sue, a daughter of the legendary Bull Lea who was bred and owned by Hyman Friedberg of Louisville.

The 1944 Blue Grass was part of Keeneland's Spring Meet, which in 1943-1945 was held at Churchill Downs because of World War II. In March 1943, Keeneland had been deemed a “suburban” plant and placed in the classification of race tracks that were asked not to operate because of shortages in rubber. The Keeneland Association leased the Churchill facilities for the three spring seasons. No Keeneland Fall Meets were held during that time.

Scheduling of the day allowed Harriet Sue to run in both the 1944 Ashland and Blue Grass, which since 2014 have been held the same day.

On April 10, Harriet Sue defeated four rivals in the $5,000-added Ashland and recorded an impressive victory for trainer John Hanover and jockey Jesse Higley.

According to Louisville's Courier-Journal (thanks to research provided by the Keeneland Library), “Bet confidently and ridden confidently, the speedy Harriet Sue didn't betray the confidence of Jockey Jess Higley or the faith of most of the bettors in the gathering of 7,000 race fans at Churchill Downs Wednesday afternoon. 'Sue' pulled away from four other fillies to capture the seventh running of Keeneland's Ashland Stakes by three and one-half lengths.”

That performance led some Turf writers and Harriet Sue's connections to speculate about the filly competing in the Kentucky Derby – something that had not occurred since 1936.

Harriet Sue returned 16 days later to face males in the $10,000-added Blue Grass. She led her seven rivals for most of the race and “gave way near the end,” according to the chart. She finished fifth behind winner Skytracer. He and four other Blue Grass rivals next competed in the Kentucky Derby, but Harriet Sue returned to the filly division. Favored in the Kentucky Oaks, she finished second, 1½ lengths behind Abe Hirschberg's Canina.

In July of that year, Harriet Sue captured the Arlington Matron at Washington Park. By the time she retired, she had made 80 starts with 19 wins and earnings of $64,175.

In 1949, her stakes-winning full sister, The Fat Lady, was second to Calumet Farm's Wistful in the Kentucky Oaks. Wistful would be the year's champion 3-year-old filly.

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Darley July Cup: Jockey Kevin Stott Hoping To Continue Dream 2020 Season With Hello Youmzain

A talented field of 13 will head to post for the Darley July Cup at Newmarket's July meeting this Saturday.

The field consists of multiple big-race winners and none more so than the winner of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, Hello Youmzain. The four-year-old was giving jockey Kevin Stott his first Royal Ascot win as well as first Group 1 win and the pair will be well fancied again this Saturday.

Stott is hoping to continue his whirlwind start to the season; the 25-year-old had undoubtedly the biggest day of his career on the Saturday of this year's Royal meeting. He won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes with Hello Youmzain for his first Group 1 and immediately followed it up with a winner in the next race with Hey Jonesey – his first Royal Ascot winners.

The North Yorkshire-based jockey revealed the pure emotion he felt that day and that Kevin Ryan's stable star, Hello Youmzain, has come out of the race well and is ready to go on Saturday, in a race that forms part of the 2020 QIPCO British Champions Series.

“As we crossed the line it was the best feeling in the world. It's something that I've dreamt about since I was a kid,” Stott said.

“It was very emotional for me being my first Group 1. It didn't sink in straight away, I was very overwhelmed with it being my first Group 1 and my first Royal Ascot winner. It didn't sink in until I was sat at home in bed the next morning watching the replay.

“Hello Youmzain has come out of the race brilliantly, his preparation for the July Cup on Saturday has been very good. He's been fresh and well so I'm very happy with him.

“He's a very big horse, he was a late two-year-old. He's extremely balanced and very fast out of the stalls. If I could describe him in one word it would be that he's athletic. He's an absolute pleasure to ride.”

Stott is 12^th in this year's Flat Jockeys' Championship with 21 wins from 117 rides at a strike rate of 18%.

The winner of the other six-furlong sprint at the Royal meeting, Golden Horde will also head to post after his commanding victory in the Commonwealth Cup. Clive Cox and Adam Kirby know all about teaming up with sprinters in this race having won it twice before with Lethal Force and Harry Angel.

The past three runnings of the Darley July Cup have been won by 3-year-olds and last year the Classic generation were responsible for the first five home – a good omen for Clive Cox's sprinter.

Last year's champion apprentice Cieren Fallon Jr. is hoping Oxted can provide him with a dream first Group 1 triumph by landing the Darley July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday. Fallon Jr. is still able to claim 3lb in the majority of races but the status of the showpiece sprint, which forms part of the 35-race QIPCO British Champions Series, means he has to compete on level terms.

Fallon Jr. guided Oxted to victory in the William Hill Portland Handicap at Doncaster in September and was also on board him when he won the Group 3 Betway Abernant Stakes on his return at Newmarket last month.

Fallon Jr. believes the absence of any spectators will be a bonus for the horse: “He has his quirks and we have the hood on him in the parade ring. The crowd not being there is a big help to him as he can get a little worked up beforehand.”

Hello Youmzain's win in the Diamond Jubilee could prove to be a good form guide as three of the first four home all re-oppose each other here.

Irish sprint sensation, Sceptical was third in the Royal Ascot Group 1 and will be looking to overturn that result this time out. Trained by Denis Hogan in Ireland, Sceptical changed hands for just 2,800gns last year as an unraced three-year-old and has already proved a lucrative purchase. He will again be ridden by Frankie Dettori, still searching for an elusive first win in the July Cup.

Fourth place in the Diamond Jubilee went to Khadeem and he will also be looking to reverse that form for trainer, Charlie Hills.

Brando, the 2017 Prix Maurice De Gheest winner, will be running in his fourth July Cup for Kevin Ryan. He beat all bar U S Navy Flag in the 2018 renewal and chased home Judicial at Newcastle last time out.

Threat scooped two Group 2 prizes as a juvenile last year – including when beating Lord Of The Lodge in the Al Basti equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes at York – and drops back in distance after finishing fifth on his return over a. mile in the St James's Palace Stakes. Conversely, Equilateral moves up in distance after chasing home Battaash, his brilliant stablemate, in the King's Stand Stakes.

German-trained challenger Namos, winner of two pattern races in his native country this year, adds international flavour, while Sir Dancealot gets the opportunity to try and improve on the fourth place he managed in the 2018 July Cup.

Shine So Bright ounds out the field of 13 and will be looking to return to some sort of form after a disappointing run in the Diamond Jubilee where he could only manage tenth.

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Pegasus Turf Winner Zulu Alpha Headlines Sunday’s Elkhorn At Keeneland

Michael Hui's six-time graded stakes winner Zulu Alpha will shoot for his third victory of 2020 when he headlines a field of 13 grass marathoners Sunday in the 35th running of the $175,000 TVG Elkhorn (G2) at Keeneland.

The TVG Elkhorn will be contested over 1½ miles over the Keeneland turf course and be run as the final race of the five-day Summer Meet. First post time Sunday is 1:05 p.m. with the TVG Elkhorn going as the ninth race with a 5:30 post time.

NBCSN will provide live coverage of the TVG Elkhorn from 5-7 p.m.

Winner of the 2018 Sycamore (G3) and third as the favorite in the 2019 Dixiana Elkhorn, Zulu Alpha started his 2020 campaign with a victory in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Presented by Runhappy (G1) and followed that with a triumph in the Mac Diarmida (G2). In his most recent start, Zulu Alpha was second in the Kitten's Joy Pan American (G2) going 1½ miles.

Mike Maker trains Zulu Alpha, who will break from post position five under Tyler Gaffalione in the TVG Elkhorn.

Figuring to be the major rival to Zulu Alpha is $1.8 million earner Arklow.

Owned by Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger and Peter Coneway, Arklow won the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) last fall at Belmont Park. Trained by Brad Cox, Arklow finished second in the Louisville (G3) in his most recent start that came off a 4½-month layoff. Arklow will exit post 10 under Florent Geroux.

The field for the TVG Elkhorn, with riders and weights from the rail, is: Apreciado (Gerardo Corrales, 118 pounds), Nakamura (John Velazquez, 118), Ramsey Solution (Julio Garcia, 118), Postulation (Julien Leparoux, 118), Zulu Alpha (Gaffalione, 120), Jais's Solitude (Corey Lanerie, 118), He's No Lemon (Rafael Bejarano, 118), Hellorhighwater (James Graham, 118), Oscar Dominguez (IRE) (Joel Rosario, 118), Arklow (Geroux, 123), Ry's the Guy (Chris Landeros, 118), Hierarchy (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), Henley's Joy (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118).

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Uni Could Try For Redemption In Aug. 22 Fourstardave At Saratoga

Following a third in her seasonal bow in the Grade 1 Just a Game on June 27 to stable mate Newspaperofrecord, reigning Champion Turf Mare Uni is a possibility to face colts in the Grade 1, $400,000 Fourstardave on August 22 at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Chad Brown, Uni suffered her only loss of 2019 in last year's Fourstardave, where she made up 17 lengths to finish third, beaten 2 ½ lengths to a track-record setting performance by Got Stormy. The 6-year-old daughter of More Than Ready solidified championship honors in her next two starts in taking the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland where she set a new course record for one mile on the turf and the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita.

“The only Grade 1 going a flat mile on the grass at Saratoga is against boys. Will we try it? Probably,” said Bradley Weisbord of BSW/Crow Bloodstock, who manages Uni on behalf of owners Michael Dubb, Head of Plains Partners, Robert LaPenta and Bethlehem Stables. “She was an unlucky loser last year to Got Stormy. We could take that route again this year and try to protect our title in the First Lady at Keeneland and the Breeders' Cup Mile.”

Since joining Brown's all-star shed row in 2017 after beginning her career in France for Fabrice Chappet, Uni has placed in all but one of her 13 starts for the four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner, including a total of eight stakes victories over six different tracks. Additionally, all of her last nine starts took place going a flat mile.

“She's won on soft turf before, but [jockey] Joel [Rosario] said she was struggling with the turf that day,” Weisbord said of the Just a Game. “She probably needed the race. She had a splint issue in April and breezed four or five times heading into the Just a Game so she wasn't super cherry heading into the race and you have to be cherry to beat a filly like Newspaperofrecord. Hats off to Chad for getting her back to Grade 1 form. She'll be tough the rest of the year.”

In 2018, Uni won twice over soft and yielding turf in the De La Rose at Saratoga and the Grade 3 Noble Damsel at Belmont Park. Although the turf was listed as “firm” for the Just a Game, there were rain showers in the Elmont area earlier in the program.

Uni, bred in Great Britain by Haras D'Etreham, is out of the Dansili broodmare Unaided.

Rockemperor who was a close second in the Grade 1 Manhattan to stable mate Instilled Regard, could target the Grade 1, $1 million Old Forester Turf Classic on September 5 at Churchill Downs

The Brown-trained son of Holy Roman Emperor had dead aim on the pacesetters when four-wide at the top of the stretch under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, briefly took command within the final half-furlong, but was nosed out of victory by stablemate Instilled Regard.

“It's hard to know what his best distance his, but a mile and an eighth should hit him right over the head,” Weisbord said. “We've gotten beat a lot in stakes, but what made that such a brutal beat was because he had the horses in front of him collared. I don't think the horse or Johnny saw Instilled Regard coming.”

Still in search of his first North American victory, Rockemperor has placed in four of his five starts in the United States. He made his seasonal bow in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic at Fair Grounds before being disqualified from second to third in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham at Santa Anita.

Rockemperor is owned by Madaket Stables in partnership with Michael Dubb, Wonder Stables, Michael E. Kisber and Bethlehem Stables.

Bred in Ireland by Haras du Mezeray, Rockemperor is out of the Muhtathir broodmare Motivation and comes from the same family as multiple graded stakes winner on turf Yagli. Both hail from the prestigious lineage of prolific broodmare Best In Show.

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