By Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile
LEXINGTON, KY— Darlinonthebeach kicked off her
cover at the top of the stretch and sprinted to a 1:48.1 victory to win one of
two divisions of the $213,500 Glen Garnsey Memorial on Sunday, Oct. 9 at The
Red Mile.
Getting away fifth as Penpal cleared command in
:26.2, Darlinonthebeach flushed Rock Me Baby first over at the half, timed in
:55. Blue Moon Stride, having brushed to the top after yielding to Penpal at
the quarter, was challenged by Rock Me Baby at three-quarters in 1:22.1.
Darlinonthebeach tipped off her cover at the head of the stretch and drew away
from the field in the stretch. Kiss Me Onthebeach closed down the center of the
track to take second, while Penpal slid up the pylons for third.
A three-year-old filly by Somebeachsomewhere out
of the Bettor’s Delight mare Darlin’s Delight, Darlinonthebeach won her 12th race in 28 starts, amassing
$830,823 for owner White Birch Farms. Trained by Nancy Johansson and driven by
David Miller, she paid $3.00.
“It worked out just the way I wanted it to
there,” David Miller said. “We had a bit of a pace on the lead and she felt
comfortable the whole way; felt like I had a lot of horse. She’s an all-round
professional; she’s pretty handy and will do whatever you want to do.
“She was a bit of a bully earlier in the year
and we’ve worked with her. She has learned how to race and she’s a big strong
horse who can carry her speed really good. I couldn’t be happier for Marcus and
Nancy and all the connections with her. I’ve always been a big fan of her; I’ve
been high on her all season. It started out a little rough, but I kept telling
them it was going to get better.”
Sent the 1-2 favorite, Pure Country stalled in
her first over bid around the far turn before hitting her best stride and
storming by pacesetter Call Me Queen Be to win the other division of the Glen
Garnsey in 1:48.2.
Leading through splits of :27.1, :55, and
1:21.4, Call Me Queen Be held an uncontested lead. Pure Country was first over
but about two lengths off the lead at the top of the stretch, chasing Call Me
Queen Be along with pocket-sitter Lakeisha Hall and Lindwood Beachgirl behind
her. Pure Country drifted towards the center of the track as she edged past
Call Me Queen Be to win.
Winning her 18th race in 28 starts, Pure Country,
a three-year-old filly by Somebeachsomewhere out of the Western Hanover mare
Western Montana, has earned $1,649,968 for owner Diamond Creek Racing. She’s
trained by Jimmy Takter, was driven by Brett Miller, and paid $3.00 to win.
“She’s a pure champion,” Jimmy Takter said.
“It’s not easy to stay at the highest [tier] throughout the year. She hasn’t
been undefeated, but at the same token, this has been a great, great group of
three-year-old fillies this year.”
“She has been really good to us and we take it
one race at a time,” Adam Bowden of Diamond Creek Racing said. “We’ll make a
decision [on her career] when the season’s over.”
