Leigh Court Takes the GII TCA S.

Overlooked by the bettors, Canadian champion Leigh Court stole the show from heavily favored GII Prioress S. victress Stonetastic (Mizzen Mast) in Keeneland’s GII Thoroughbred Club of America S. She also secured a spot in the gate at Santa Anita for the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint Nov. 1. Only off the board twice in 11 outings, the dark bay kicked off her career at Fair Grounds last February with a debut win and optional claimer second. Shipped to the Great White North, the Eugene Melnyk homebred won her first start on the synthetic in a Woodbine allowance and did not find the winner’s circle again until three starts later in the Duchess S. last July. Successful again when switched to the turf for the GIII Ontario Colleen S. that August, Leigh Court wired the field when returned to the Woodbine Polytrack for the La Lorgnette S. a month later. She closed out her sophomore season with a fading fourth after showing the way in Keeneland’s turfy GI Queen Elizabeth II Cup last October, but had still shown enough throughout the season to earn her the Sovereign Award for top 3-year-old filly. Spending 10 months on the bench after that, the dark bay returned a winner back on her hometrack’s synthetic in the Aug. 24 GIII Seaway S. and was trying dirt here for the first time since those initial two starts at the Fair Grounds in the early part of 2013. 

Away slowest of all in this one, Leigh Court quickly settled intro stride and advanced up the rail to track from third while the headstrong leading duo of Stonetastic and second-choice R Free Roll (Rockport Harbor) battled it out through a speedy first quarter in :21.84. Drawing alongside the leaders rounding the far turn, the 4-year-old zig-zagged for a few strides, incidentally bumping into the determined Stonetastic, but was straightened out by pilot Gary Boulanger and quickly skipped away to score a clear cut victory. Late running Southern Honey got up for second and Stonetastic held on for third while R Free Roll faded to fifth. “[Breeder and owner Eugene] Melnyk was hoping for a horse for the Breeders’ Cup,” winning conditioner Josie Carroll said. “We sat down and talked about it, and we thought this was the best direction to take to get there. It worked out just fine.” Boulanger added, “It’s the first time she’s ever been covered up on me. She’s always been kinda on the lead and doing it easy. Today the dirt broke a little bit away from her, in her face, but it didn’t bother her. She just cruised on up the inside, then I got outside the pocket. She had her ears half-cocked, and I said, ‘Well I have a ton here.’ She’s just a super nice filly.”

Saturday, Keeneland 
THOROUGHBRED CLUB OF AMERICA S.-GII, $200,000, KEE, 10-4, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09 2/5, ft. 
1–LEIGH COURT, 122, f, 4, by Grand Slam 
     1st Dam: Padmore, by French Deputy 
     2nd Dam: Double Lock (GB), by Home Guard 
     3rd Dam: St. Padina (GB), by St. Paddy (GB) 
O-Melnyk Racing Stables Inc; B-Eugene Melnyk (KY); 
T-Josie Carroll; J-Gary Boulanger. $120,000. Lifetime 
Record: Ch. 3yo Filly-Can, 11-7-2-0, $537,673. *1/2 
to King of Sydney (Diesis), GSW-Ger, GSP-Fr, 
$139,419; and Barracks Road (Elusive Quality), 
MSW, $369,645. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple
Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Southern Honey, 120, f, 3, Colonel John–Mama Tia, 
by Carson City. ($155,000 wnlg ’11 KEENOV; 
$180,000 yrl ’12 KEESEP). O-Ashbrook Farm; 
B-Whisper Hill Farm LLC (KY); T-George R Arnold II. 
$40,000. 
3–Stonetastic, 120, f, 3, Mizzen Mast–Special Me, by 
Unbridled’s Song. ($77,000 yrl ’12 KEESEP). 
O-Stoneway Farm; B-Machmer Hall & Carrie & Craig 
Brogden (KY); T-Kelly J Breen. $20,000. 
Margins: 3, 3/4, NK. Odds: 5.80, 6.20, 1.10. 
Also Ran: Speedinthruthecity, R Free Roll, Janis’s Joy. 
Scratched: Anahauc, Northern Passion. 
Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.