J A G Racing and Jettany Thoroughbred's homebred Lucy N Ethel (During), a wire-to-wire winner of her first three starts, returned from an eight-month layoff and proved to be sharper than ever with a gritty score as a 22-1 outsider in Saturday's GII Prioress S. at Saratoga. The dark bay employed front-running tactics once again to add another graded stakes success to her resume, having previously captured Gulfstream's GIII Old Hat S. in her most recent race Jan. 2.
“She's good enough, obviously,” said Steve Perry of J A G Racing in the aftermath of the race. “We were hoping to run good, maybe hit the board or possibly do what we did. We were pretty confident, but it's hard. This was a lovely group of horses. These are some of the best in the world as far as sprinters go.”
Away in good order in a race seemingly loaded with early speed, Lucy N Ethel outgunned Coniah (Harlington) to the lead and raced in the clear past the quarter in :22.05. Confronted to her outside by Dearest (Midshipman) through a half in :44.96, she appeared to momentarily cede the lead to that rival but battled back along the rail to prevail by just under a length. Dearest was second, well clear of Takrees, who rallied to complete the trifecta.
“She's a very nice filly,” said jockey Jose Lezcano, who was aboard for the first time. “[Bradley] told me to take her away from the pony and warm her up pretty good, let her break and go to the lead. Everything went as planned. She broke well and I got good position in front and she did it easy. I felt I had enough horse in the stretch. She came in prepared for this race today.”
Lucy N Ethel hinted at significant ability in winning her first two career starts at Parx for trainer Ramon Preciado and shipped south to annex the Old Hat by a comfortable 3 3/4 lengths. Sent to the sidelines to have a chip removed from her knee following that effort, she was scratched by the Monmouth Park stewards after being entered in the Aug. 13 Blue Sparkler S. The 3-year-old resurfaced in this spot under the care of trainer Chloe Bradley, who was deputizing for embattled trainer Preciado, who is in the process of appealing a 270-day suspension ruled by the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission due to a series of positive tests.
“We knew she was training brilliantly against some very nice horses, so we really thought we had a shot at this,” Perry added.
Favored Off the Tracks (Curlin) raced off the pace and rallied belatedly to finish fourth.
Pedigree Notes:
The winner is a full-sister to Jake N Elwood, SW, $399,350 and a half to Hey Kiddo (Stonesider), SW, $361,768. Her dam Kid Silver, who won the only start of her career as a racehorse in 2005, is also responsible for a 2-year-old Stay Thirsty filly named Blameitontheice and foaled a Two Step Salsa colt this term before being bred back to Palace Malice.
Sunday, Saratoga
PRIORESS S.-GII, $300,000, SAR, 9-4, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:09.33, ft.
1–LUCY N ETHEL, 120, f, 3, by During
1st Dam: Kid Silver, by Silver Ghost
2nd Dam: Dandy Kid, by Dandy Binge
3rd Dam: Kindergarten Kid, by Rhymeroni
O/B-J A G Racing & Jettany Thoroughbred Corp. (PA); T-Chloe
Bradley; J-Jose Lezcano. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 4-4-0-0,
$306,420. *Full to Jake N Elwood, SW, $399,350; 1/2 to Hey
Kiddo (Stonesider), SW, $361,768. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”pa-bred”]2–Dearest, 120, f, 3, Midshipman">Midshipman–Keowee Clai, by Cherokee
Run. ($72,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP; $150,000 2yo '15 OBSMAR).
O-Ivan Rodriguez; B-Daniel J. Burke & Kathleen Schweizer (KY);
T-Gilberto Zerpa. $60,000.[bullet ad=”woodford-winning”][bullet ad=”blackburn-farm-foaled-raised-sold”][bullet ad=”blackburn-hip2092″]3–Takrees, 116, f, 3, Daaher–Uroobah, by Dynaformer.
O-Shadwell Stable; B-Shadwell Farm, LLC (KY); T-Kiaran P.
McLaughlin. $30,000.
Margins: HF, 2 3/4, NK. Odds: 22.70, 6.30, 20.00.
Also Ran: Off the Tracks, Kareena, Coniah, One True Kiss, Lost Raven, Coppa, Appealing Maggie. 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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