Heading into Saturday's GI First Lady S. at Keeneland, Kent Desormeaux had express instructions from trainer Todd Pletcher to cover up the outposted Photo Call in the run. But the mare had different ideas, as she pulled the California rider to the front entering the first turn, tore away to a long lead and would not be for catching en route to a 29-1 upset.
A Keeneland allowance winner for a group that included BBA Ireland's Patrick Cooper and TDN columnist Bill Oppenheim two falls back, Photo Call broke through on these shores with a 3/4-length success in last year's GIII Violet S. before earning her way into the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf by winning the GI Rodeo Drive S. Fifth after leading into the final furlong on championship day, she subsequently found herself in the sales pavilion down the hill soon after and was purchased by this owner for $3 million at the November sale. She had one victory from six tries in her new colors, a 3/4-length tally in the 11-furlong GIII Orchid S. in April and was exiting a pacesetting fourth in the GIII Glens Falls S. over a mile and three-eighths at Saratoga Sept. 3.
Celestine, making her first appearance since annexing the GI Just A Game S. at Belmont June 11, was the early leader in the First Lady, but Photo Call was into the bit early and Desormeaux tore up the game plan and let his mount stride freely to put a big space on the rest of the field turning up the backstretch. Tepin was a comfortable and unhurried third through the middle stages, and Julien Leparoux allowed her to slide up one spot, but the leader was still close to 10 lengths to the good with time beginning to tick away. The champ was making good ground entering the final eighth of a mile, but it proved to be too little, too late, as Photo Call held safe to the wire.
“She was really full of herself,” Desormeaux explained. “She was a pleasure to ride. I just drew on the confidence that Mr. Todd Pletcher asked me to ride her. He doesn't call often, but when he calls, he's solid.”
Team Casse was not overly dismayed by the result.
“We hoped for the best, but this is why we picked this race in particular. We didn't really want to run her 'A' race today,” assistant trainer Norman Casse contended. “The goal has always been the [GI] Breeders' Cup Mile, a repeat there. I haven't lost any confidence in her, I think we are still set up to do that and she'll move forward from this race. At the top of the lane you could tell that [Photo Call] had too much of a lead and she kicked away. This is horse racing.”
Pedigree Notes:
Bred on the wildly successful Galileo/Danehill cross, Photo Call is a maternal granddaughter of the tremendous MGSW & G1SP sprinting mare Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}). She is, in turn, the dam of 2008 G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Halfway to Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), whose daughter Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was victorious in the G1 Dubai Fillies' Mile Oct. 7 and sits atop many ante-post markets for next year's Guineas. This is the further female family of Verglas (Ire) (Highest Honor {Fr}). The most recent produce for Theann is a 2–year-old colt of this year named Denver Colorado (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}).
Saturday, Keeneland
FIRST LADY S.-GI, $400,000, KEE, 10-8, 3yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:35.62, fm.
1–PHOTO CALL (IRE), 124, m, 5, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Theann (GB) (GSW-Eng, $143,999), by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire)
2nd Dam: Cassandra Go (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
3rd Dam: Rahaam, by Secreto
($3,000,000 4yo '15 KEENOV). O-Teresa Viola Racing Stables;
B-Mrs Evie Stockwell (IRE); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Kent J.
Desormeaux. $240,000. Lifetime Record: 21-6-3-4, $827,102.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”bba-double-bullet”][bullet ad=”denali-stud-sold-by”][bullet ad=”crupi-trained”][bullet ad=”itm-g1″]2–Tepin, 124, m, 5, Bernstein–Life Happened, by Stravinsky.
($140,000 Ylg '12 FTSAUG). O-Robert E. Masterson;
B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. $80,000.[bullet ad=”machmer-hall-bredfoaledraised”][bullet ad=”selectsales-shell”][bullet ad=”irt-shell”][bullet ad=”greathouse-yrlg-blue”]3–Celestine, 124, f, 4, Scat Daddy–Mona Mia, by Monarchos.
($100,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP; $975,000 RNA 2yo '14 OBSOPN).
O-Phaedrus Flights LLC; B-Phoenix Rising Farms (KY); T-William
I. Mott. $40,000.[bullet ad=”woodsgayle-grad”][bullet ad=”taylor-made-keenov-hip-144″]Margins: 2 3/4, 3HF, 3. Odds: 29.70, 0.40, 3.30.
Also Ran: Nemoralia, She's Not Here, Cash Control, Onus, Now Or Never (Ire), Secret Someone, Mississippi Delta. 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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