Appealing Tale Cracks the ‘Code’ in Kelso
Updated: October 3, 2015 at 9:32 pm
Despite the imposing presence of ‘TDN Rising Star’, MGISW, and 3-5 crowd’s pick Honor Code (A.P. Indy), Aug. 22 GII Pat O’Brien S. hero Appealing Tale made good use of his six-pound break in the weights and ran away and hid from the seven-strong GII Kelso H. field to make it back-to-back Grade II triumphs on the front end for owner Gary Barber and trainer Peter Miller. Fourth choice on the board at 6-1, the dark bay, while not the quickest away from his rail draw, soon held an uncontested lead through a half mile in :46.35. Longshot Scarly Charly (Friends Lake) and Shadwell’s MGSW Tamarkuz (Speightstown) shadowed Appealing Tale, while perennial closer Honor Code kept much closer order than normal, second last. Tamarkuz got to within a length of Appealing Tale through six furlongs in 1:09.89, but the Kentucky-bred son of Tale of the Cat cut the corner and shrugged off his challenge in upper stretch. Meanwhile out in the center of the track, Javier Castellano was asking Honor Code for his best, but the hulking dark bay, while making inroads, was not displaying his customary late burst of speed. Appealing Tale held firm to the wire to score his second graded stakes triumph by a diminishing 1 3/4 lengths, while GI Pacific Classic third Red Vine (Candy Ride {Arg}) took second over Honor Code. “He broke slow, and kind of had to rush up,” said winning trainer Peter Miller. “It wasn’t what I was hoping for but once he established himself on the lead he really just ran a great race. Really a super ride from Joe [Talamo] and this win is a credit to our whole team. Stephanie Quarter, my assistant over there, did a great job deputizing. We are all elated. [It’s] on to the Breeders’ Cup next. We’ll cross enter in the [GI] Breeders’ Cup Sprint and [GI] Breeders’ Cup [Dirt] Mile but we’ll probably lean more on entering in the [Dirt] Mile.”
“The way things came up, it wasn’t his day,” said Shug McGaughey, trainer of third-place finisher and beaten favorite Honor Code. “He’ll be fine [for the Breeders’ Cup]. It looked like when he came down on the inside he was struggling a little bit.”
Appealing Tale took second in the GII San Pasqual S. going 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita Jan. 10 and was fourth in an optional claimer there a month later. Never a factor when seventh in the Santana Mile at that oval Mar. 29, the 5-year-old lost out by just a nose switched to that turf course for a 6 1/2f optional claimer May 10, but returned to the winner’s circle with an open-length score back on the main track at that venue May 31. Returning to graded company, Appealing Tale was twice second–in the GI Triple Bend S. at Santa Anita June 27 and in Del Mar’s GII San Diego H. July 25, prior to his Pat O’Brien tally at the latter strip.
Appealing Tale’s second dam is GSW Regally Appealing (Valid Appeal) and this is the extended family of MGSW Rockport Harbor (Unbridled’s Song).
Saturday, Belmont Park
KELSO H.-GII, $400,000, BEL, 10-3, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:34.86, sy.
1–APPEALING TALE, 118, g, 5, by Tale of the Cat
1st Dam: Appealing Bride, by Unbridled’s Song
2nd Dam: Regally Appealing, by Valid Appeal
3rd Dam: Regal Pennant, by Banner Bob
($77,000 RNA Wlg ’10 KEENOV; $115,000 Ylg ’11
KEESEP; $95,000 2yo ’12 OBSMAR). O-Gary Barber;
B-Hart Farm (KY); T-Peter Miller; J-Joseph Talamo.
$240,000. Lifetime Record: GISP, 25-6-6-6,
$773,222. *1/2 to Colerful Bride (Munnings), SW.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”shawhan-place-keenov-hip-2910″]2–Red Vine, 118, h, 5, Candy Ride (Arg)–Murky
Waters, by Storm Creek. ($200,000 Ylg ’11
FTSAUG; $290,000 RNA 2yo ’12 FTFMAR). O-Jon &
Sarah Kelly; B-Alastar Thoroughbred Co. (KY);
T-Christophe Clement. $80,000.[bullet ad=”ramona-good-recommended-mating-dam-purchased-by-ramona-good”][bullet ad=”xib-yearling-purchase-by-xavier-intl-bloodstock”]3–Honor Code, 124, r, 4, A.P. Indy–Serena’s Cat, by
Storm Cat. ‘TDN Rising Star’ O-Lane’s End Racing &
Dell Ridge Farm LLC; B-Dell Ridge Farm LLC (KY);
T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $40,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 2, 3/4. Odds: 6.60, 4.80, 0.60.
Also Ran: Tamarkuz, Mylute, Scarly Charly, Matterhorn.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.