She needed seven tries to celebrate graduation day, but it looks as if Coach Rocks (Oxbow) has figured things out. The bay, who took a course-and-distance test by eight front-running lengths on Valentine's Day, had a more eventful trip from off the pace this time around, but raced over the top of favored Take Charge Paula (Take Charge Indy) in the final 40 yards to become the first stakes winner for her sire in Saturday's GII Gulfstream Park Oaks.
Away in decent order from gate two, Coach Rocks found her way to the fence with ease and settled slightly worse than midfield, as the ambitiously spotted Eight Thirtyone (Graydar) set the early pace after being quarter-horsed under the whip in the opening strides. The rank outsider was ready to call it a day as early as midway and began backing out it abruptly, causing the in-form Luis Saez to take some evasive action and costing Coach Rocks a few spots in the process. Meanwhile, back on the sharp end, Take Charge Paula was left flat-footed for a stride or two when Alter Moon (Alternation) sped past nearing the quarter pole, but the chalk was right back at that one and reclaimed the lead at the head of the lane. Coach Rocks found her way to the outside at the five-sixteenths and was hitting her best stride and Take Charge Paula could do nothing more than watch her sail by and onto a second consecutive victory.
Coach Rocks hit the board four times from her first five starts, but stubbed her toe when a well-bet fifth in a seven-furlong maiden Jan. 27, but galloped home the easiest kind of winner last time, enticing Terry Finley's West Point Thoroughbreds to buy into a filly with Oaks potential. Coach Rocks, who is part-owned by Rick Pitino, was giving trainer Dale Romans his third win in four years in the Gulfstream Oaks, having sent out Birdatthewire (Summer Bird) and Go Maggie Go (Ghostzapper) in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
Pedigree Notes:
Coach Rocks is the first stakes winner for her Classic-winning stallion (by Awesome Again) and has plenty of grass on the bottom of her pedigree, as her dam was a stakes winner and Grade III placed over the surface while her half-brother O'Prado Ole (English Channel) was second in two runnings of the 12-furlong GIII Stars & Stripes S. Barren to Red Rocks for 2016, Mexican Moonlight foaled an English Channel filly in 2017 but was not covered last year.
Saturday, Gulfstream Park
GULFSTREAM PARK OAKS-GII, $250,000, GP, 3-31, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:44.63, ft.
1–COACH ROCKS, 122, f, 3, by Oxbow
1st Dam: Mexican Moonlight (SW & GSP, $195,918), by El Prado (Ire)
2nd Dam: Nellie Custis, by Val de l'Orne (Fr)
3rd Dam: Naldani, by Ancestral (Ire)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($125,000
Ylg '16 FTSAUG; $95,000 2yo '17 FTFMAR). O-Roddy J. Valente,
RAP Racing & West Point Thoroughbreds; B-Calumet Farm
(KY); T-Dale L. Romans; J-Luis Saez. $145,700. Lifetime Record:
8-2-3-1, $225,682. *1/2 to O'Prado Ole (English Channel),
MGSP, $234,073. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”eaton-sold”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]2–Take Charge Paula, 122, f, 3, Take Charge Indy–Perfect Paula,
by Songandaprayer. ($40,000 Wlg '15 KEENOV; $47,000 RNA
Ylg '16 KEESEP; $50,000 2yo '17 OBSMAR). O-Peter Deutsch;
B-Extern Developments LTD. (KY); T-Kiaran P. McLaughlin.
$47,000.[bullet ad=”frankfort-park-farm-raised-grazed-at”][bullet ad=”lanes-end-sales-grad”]3–Princess Warrior, 122, f, 3, Midshipman–Sessa, by
Consolidator. ($60,000 2yo '17 EASMAY). O-Evan, Matthew &
Andrew Trommer; B-George M. Veloudis (KY); T-Kenneth G.
McPeek. $23,500.
Margins: 1HF, 10, 3HF. Odds: 2.80, 2.40, 3.40.
Also Ran: Tell Your Mama, Alter Moon, Blonde Bomber, Cache, Silver Bay, Mihrab, Daisy, Eight Thirtyone. Scratched: C. S. Incharge, Heavenhasmynikki. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
