By Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile
LEXINGTON,
KY—Hambletonian Oaks winner When Dovescry took control early and turned away
all challengers with a swift final quarter to win the first of two divisions of
the $218,000 Bar Hopping Bluegrass Stakes—sponsored by the Bar Hopping
Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms—on the Sunday, Sept. 29 program at The Red
Mile.
Driver
Simon Allard sent the Muscle Hill filly to the point from post 6 while
pylon-starter Golden Tricks pushed for the pocket. When Dovescry led
uncontested through a :27.1 first quarter and :55.3 half before facing
first-over pressure from Fade Into You rounding the final turn. Fade Into You,
tracked by 3-5 favorite Millies Possesion, drew within a length of the lead
passing three-quarters in 1:23.4 but quickly retreated entering the stretch.
Golden Tricks gave chase from second while Millies Possesion attempted to
recoup lost ground in third while the Rene Allard trainee floated to a 1:50.1
mile.
“You
know what, she trained me,” Rene Allard said after the race. “When you get a
horse like that, they’re just so special. To be able to buy one like that and
have it, she makes my job so easy. Probably anybody can do what she’s doing;
it’s her, not me.
“Late
in the mile she drifts out a little bit but we’re going to make a little
adjustment on the equipment,” Allard also said. “We’ve been playing with the
Murphy blind a little bit. If you put it too close to her eyes she’ll run in
and if you put it too far she runs out.”
Bred
by William Weaver III and owned by Go Fast Stable, Yves Sarrazin, Kapildeo
Singh and Lawrence Dumain, When Dovescry won her ninth race from 16 starts,
earning $696,226. She paid $4.80 to win.
Beautiful
Sin pulled an 11-1 upset when getting a neck up on Asiago in a 1:50.4 mile to
take the other division of the Bar Hopping.
In
her first start for trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt, Beautiful Sin sat third
throughout while Starita posted fractions of :27.4, :56 and 1:24.1 on the lead.
Asiago, sitting the pocket, pulled wide passing three-quarters with Beautiful
Sin following that move as they straightened for the finish. Beautiful Sin then
fanned wide of Asiago through the stretch and edged past in the final strides
to win while even-money favorite Evident Beauty, from third over, finished
three lengths father back in third.
“They
didn’t tell me so much but she did hurt her front leg last year,” Svanstedt
said after the race. “A little special training and nursing has made it much
better. She has a very good race head; she was a winner. She was really sharp
when she went behind the gate. I hope she can be a little bit faster [for the
Filly Futurity].”
Returning
$24.60 to win, Beautiful Sin now races for the SRF Stable. The Muscle Hill
filly—bred by Jeff Gural and Moon Goddess LLC—won her fourth race in 13 starts,
earning $237,367.
Grand
Circuit action resumes at The Red Mile Thursday, Oct. 3 with the $350,000
(est.) International Stallion Stakes for two-year-old trotting colts and
geldings. Racing gets underway with first-race post at 1:00 p.m. (EDT).
