Little Red Feather Racing's Midnight Miley stepped away from the field early and never looked back to earn her first graded stakes victory at odds of 25-1 in Sunday's GIII Ontario Matron S. The winning connections were forced to endure some anxious moments after a claim of foul was lodged by the riders of two horses to the winner's inside alleging interference at the start, but no action was ultimately taken after a stewards' inquiry.
Midnight Miley began her career campaigning in California and was transferred to the care of trainer Julia Carey in the spring of 2015. The bay won her first stakes race in the La Lorgnette S. going seven furlongs over the since-replaced local all-weather track Sept. 20, but was overmatched in her first try at the graded level when a tiring ninth in the GIII Maple Leaf S. over 10 furlongs on Halloween. She was given a seven-month break following that effort and recently returned to action with a useful third-place effort in the seven-panel Sweet Briar Too S. June 4.
Let go at long odds while stretching back out to her preferred two-turn trip here, the $45,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase easily cleared the field after the start and opened up a six-length advantage through a half-mile in :48.88. Stepping on the gas a bit entering the far turn, she maintained an open-length advantage into the stretch and was never truly threatened, crossing the wire well clear of an otherwise tightly bunched chase pack. New York invader Miss Chatelaine rallied down the center of the strip to secure place honors. Flipcup (Milwaukee Brew), the 2-1 favorite, was eased late and crossed the wire last of nine.
“I couldn't believe it when I saw [Midnight Miley] so far in front and in slow fractions,” said Carey, who added a second graded stakes victory to her training resume after winning the GIII Vigil S. with Disfunction (Vying Victor) in 2008. “She was doing so well–I would have been shocked if she hadn't run a good race. It looked tough on paper, but it worked out.”
The winner's dam, Moneybru, is also responsible for an unnamed juvenile colt by Pioneerof the Nile who recently sold for $80,000 to Michael Sternklar at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic, as well as a yearling colt by Mission Impazible.
Sunday, Woodbine
ONTARIO MATRON S.-GIII, C$156,100, WO, 7-17, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m (AWT), 1:43.74, ft.
1–@MIDNIGHT MILEY, 119, f, 4, by Midnight Lute
1st Dam: Moneybru, by Talk Is Money
2nd Dam: Enabru, by Roanoke
3rd Dam: Satin Promise, by Dixieland Band
($45,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP). O-Little Red Feather Racing; B-Mark
Secrest (KY); T-Julia Carey; J-Rafael Manuel Hernandez.
C$90,000. Lifetime Record: 14-5-1-1, $216,846. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++.
*Triple Plus*.
[bullet ad=”hillndale-consigned”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]2–Miss Chatelaine, 117, f, 4, Pulpit–Lenatareese, by Broad
Brush. ($200,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP; $245,000 RNA 2yo '14
OBSMAR). O-Highland Yard LLC; B-Daniel J. Burke & Kathleen
Schweizer (KY); T-Christophe Clement. C$30,000.
[bullet ad=”blackburn-farm-foaled-raised-sold”]3–Moon Rainbow, 117, f, 4, Smart Strike–Scarlet Butterfly, by
Theatrical (Ire). O/B-Sam-Son Farm (ON); T-Malcolm Pierce.
C$18,000.
Margins: 4, HF, NO. Odds: 27.55, 5.80, 2.20.
Also Ran: Hot Kiss, Galina Point, Sweater Weather, Minks Aprise, London Tower, Flipcup. 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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