Just days after the passing of the family's patriarch, the Phipps Stable's colors graced the winner's circle at Aqueduct Sunday after Carrumba's determined victory in the rescheduled GIII Top Flight Invitational H. Carrumba, who didn't make her debut until June of her sophomore season a year ago, graduated at third asking when stretched out to nine furlongs at Saratoga Aug. 21. She romped home a nine-length winner of a Sept. 13 Belmont allowance and added a front-running tally in an Oct. 12 optional claimer in Elmont. She concluded the year with a second-place effort, beaten just a neck, in the Nov. 28 GIII Comely S. Carrumba chased pacesetting Mei Ling through fractions of :25.22 and :49.16 Sunday. She moved to challenge the leader on the turn and the top two soon distanced themselves from the rest of the short four-horse field. Mei Ling held on grimly down the lane as Carrumba drifted out, but the gray filly found her best stride late to win going away.
The victory was bittersweet for Ogden Phipps, II, whose father, former The Jockey Club chairman Dinny Phipps, passed away last Wednesday.
“Absolutely this win was emotional,” Phipps said. “Our first time back at the races and it's obviously a big part of how we grew up with my Dad. Coming back here and seeing a filly that he really loved and winning a stakes is very emotional. Every time one of our horses runs in his colors, I think it's going to be emotional for us.”
Of Carrumba, Phipps added, “I thought she ran great. Obviously, we had high hopes for her and she's off to a good start this year. We look forward to a lot of fun in upcoming races with her.”
Robbie Medina, assistant to winning trainer Shug McGaughey, is also looking forward to a productive 2016 for Carrumba.
“It's a good starting point,” Medina said. “We'll look at the [May 14 GII] Ruffian from here, her goal will probably be the [June 11 GI] Phipps, but we'll definitely look at the Ruffian. It's her first start of the year here today. We're not going to let too much grass grow under her feet.”
Carrumba is out of a half-sister to Grade I winner Dancing Forever (Rahy). Her third dam, Oh What a Dance, produced champion Heavenly Prize (Seeking the Gold), who is the dam of Grade I winner Good Reward, as well as Grade I winner Oh What a Windfall (Seeking the Gold).
Sunday, Aqueduct
TOP FLIGHT INVITATIONAL H.-GIII, $190,000, AQU, 4-10, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m, 1:50.26, ft.
1–#@CARRUMBA, 116, f, 4, by Bernardini
1st Dam: Castanet, by El Prado (Ire)
2nd Dam: Dancinginmydreams, by Seeking the Gold
3rd Dam: Oh What a Dance, by Nijinsky II
O/B-Phipps Stable (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III; J-Jose L.
Ortiz. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 7-4-3-0, $357,600. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: B
[bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]2–Mei Ling, 118, m, 5, Empire Maker–Lochinvar's Gold, by
Seeking the Gold. ($500,000 Ylg '12 KEESEP). O-Barry K.
Schwartz; B-Larry D. Williams (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$40,000.
[bullet ad=”elmtree-salesgrad”][bullet ad=”bridlewood-farm-training-graduate”]3–America, 118, m, 5, A.P. Indy–Lacadena, by Fasliyev.
($725,000 RNA Ylg '12 KEESEP). O-Bobby Flay; B-B. Flay
Thoroughbreds (KY); T-William I. Mott. $20,000.
[bullet ad=”bradshaw-randy-shell”]Margins: HF, 15 3/4, 3 1/4. Odds: 0.65, 2.15, 3.30.
Also Ran: Noble and a Beauty. Scratched: Saythreehailmary's.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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