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Life of Joy Cruises Past Bella Ballerina To Take Fair Grounds Oaks

| 6:25 pm

Last year’s Rags to Riches Stakes winner, Life of Joy (Gun Runner) booked herself a return trip to Churchill Downs Saturday, taking down the GII Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks and with it, 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

Debuted late in her 2-year-old season by trainer Brad Cox, the $375,000 Keeneland September grad was a bit under the radar initially when making her first start at Horseshoe Indianapolis. But, after putting up a devastating 14 3/4-length win going one mile Oct. 2, was anonymous no more and went off favored in that Rags to Riches Oct. 26.

In what would become just her first match up with the undefeated ‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’ Bella Ballerina (Street Sense), Life of Joy again went off the wagering choice but endured a tough trip in the GII Golden Rod Stakes to wind up fourth beaten just three lengths in the final start of her campaign.

Shipped to Florida to kick off her 3-year-old season, the daughter of Gun Runner put in a good effort to run second 2 3/4-lengths behind another undefeated filly Zany (American Pharoah) in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Feb. 7.

Relegated to the 7-2 second choice behind Bella Ballerina Saturday, Life of Joy drew outside and was slow away, nearly last of the seven fillies on the run into the first turn. Up front, the even-money favorite had pressure early and was under a stranglehold second as longshot Maximum Offer (Maxfield) tried to keep a head in front heading into the backstretch. But Bella Ballerina was keen to go and matched strides with that filly even as Life of Joy was still settled at the back, whipping-in the main group of five with just Newtown Pike (McKinzie) behind her.

The favorite looked dangerous as the top two put up a half-mile split in :46.83 and looked to get away but Life of Joy was rolling up the outside, circling the field with a head of steam to join a four-wide sprint into the stretch. Bella Ballerina, who was stuck inside on her wrong lead, yielded without much of a fight as Flavien Prat charged down the center of the course, streaking away to win in style.

Bella Ballerina was a solo second while Luv Your Neighbor (Constitution) won the photo for the trifecta.

“We wanted to freshen her up a little bit,” Cox said. “We ran into a really good filly in Tampa last time. She got a good set up today and Flavien did a great job today. I think she is a filly that can handle a mile and an eighth.”

Prat added, “I thought last time she got beat by a god filly and I didn’t think the set up of the race was to her favor. But today she had a lot of pace to run at and she ran a great race.”

Now with 122 total points, Life of Joy stands alone at the top of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks standings. Bella Ballerina sits second with 110 points while Luv Your Neighbor advanced to fourth with 65 points.

Pedigree Note:
Gun Runner, who stamped his own mark at Fair Grounds in his 3-year-old season with wins in both the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby for Asmussen, has sired 57 stakes winner and 37 individual graded stakes winners.

Life of Joy is the first foal and winner out of stakes-placed Jordan’s Leo, a Malibu Moon mare who last passed through the ring unsold in 2022 on a final bid of $585,000.

The filly’s third dam, Jeanne Jones, won the GI Fantasy Stakes and ran second in no fewer than three other Grade I’s including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and the 1988 Kentucky Oaks.

Jordan’s Leo has a 2-year-old Epicenter colt now named Megacenter who impressed at Keeneland September last year, bringing $700,000 from Cianello Bloodstock Services. She has a yearling Elite Power colt and is due this spring to Arabian Knight.

 

Saturday, Fair Grounds
FASIG-TIPTON FAIR GROUNDS OAKS-GII, $392,000, Fair Grounds, 3-21, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:42.27, ft.
1–LIFE OF JOY, 122, f, 3, by Gun Runner
                1st Dam: Jordan’s Leo (SP, $137,050), by Malibu Moon
                2nd Dam: Lady Is a Lioness, by Leroidesanimaux (Brz)
                3rd Dam: Jeanne Jones, by Nijinsky II
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($375,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP). O-Will Stroud, Andrew Farm, Mountmellick Farm and For the People Racing Stable LLC; B-Springhouse Farm (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Flavien Prat. $240,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $420,620.Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Bella Ballerina, 122, f, 3, Street Sense–Pretty City Dancer, by Tapit. ‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh. $80,000.
3–Luv Your Neighbor, 122, f, 3, Constitution–Disobedient, by Into Mischief. ($350,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP). O-Lael Stables; B-Anderson Farms Ont. Inc. & 552727 Ontario LTD. (ON); T-Michael Stidham. $40,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, 4 3/4, HF. Odds: 3.70, 1.00, 6.90.
Also Ran: Newtown Pike, Maximum Offer, Love and Trust, Miss Metoyer.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.