JR Ranch's Mashallah (f, 3, Maxfield-All in With Aces, by Quiet American)-a $1.25-million OBS March breezer-made up for lost time in this belated career debut, leading every step of the way en route to a 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard-worthy 3 3/4-length victory.
Having trained well at Palm Meadows in February and March, Mashallah had done even better since her arrival into the Brendan Walsh barn at Keeneland and had recorded a pair of slick half-mile moves-:48 flat (5/87) on Apr. 11 and :47 flat (2/58) on Apr. 17. Her starting price would have been suppressed to varying degrees by the program scratches of Juddmonte's Episodic (Uncle Mo) and John Gunther's Rogue Agent (Charlatan) and she jumped as the 7-2 third choice, a penny shorter then fellow firster Cold Spell (Gun Runner-Chalon).
Drawn the rail for this first go, the bay filly clearly won the break and shot away to an early lead before Cold Spell advanced to apply at least some pressure through an opening quarter in :22.49.
Inside in a line of three as the field approached the top of the lane after the opening half in :45.71, Mashallah was ridden cold into the final furlong and a half by Joel Rosario and lengthened clear through the final stages to take it by daylight. Cold Spell was promising in second ahead of a third debutante, In Scope (Gun Runner), who rounded out the triple.
In addition to her 2-year-old sale, Mashallah also fetched $165,000 at the 2023 Keeneland November Sale and was led out unsold on a bid of $210,000 at the Keeneland September Sale the following year.
Just a week after being purchased by Jose Aguirre's JR Ranch at OBS, the filly was sidelined by what bloodstock agent Ramiro Restrepo-who signed for the filly in the name of his Marquee Bloodstock-called some 'internal issues.'
“We took our time and all credit to the owners,” Restrepo said from Keeneland. “I've been friendly with Brendan [Walsh] for quite a few years and I told him, 'I know you had [Maxfield] and if we can get her up to fitness, I'd love to send you one.' And he was over the moon to have her, I believe it's his first Maxfield winner.”
Restrepo said the penny well and truly dropped for Mashallah once she arrived in the Bluegrass.
“She just loves the track here,” Restrepo said. “It's like she took a leap forward once she got here.”
Still, the camp was only quietly confident heading into the debut.
“You draw the one hole going three-quarters and she's bred to go a mile and a quarter, but she showed speed at the 2-year-old sale,” he said. “She's a gorgeous physical, but you never know if they're going to replicate their lessons in the mornings first time out.”
The win was a poignant one for the family of Taylor Made Farm's Hunter Houlihan, as his father, Spence, had gone in for his first Thoroughbred purchase with a group of Taylor Made partners on Mashallah's dam, All in With Aces.
“This Maxfield filly was foaled a month before my father died,” he said. “We bought the mare privately for the partnership in 2016 with the Hard Spun foal by her side. All in With Aces was the first and only mare my father ever owned. It was a really, really cool thing for him. He came to the farm to see the mares and foals once a month.”
JR Ranch is also part of the ownership group of GIII Tampa Bay Derby hero and GI Curlin Florida Derby runner-up The Puma (Essential Quality), who makes his next start in the GI Kentucky Derby on May 2 alongside Maxfield's Japanese-based son Danon Bourbon.
A half-sister to GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita winner Hard Aces (Hard Spun), $1,272,215; and Astrollinthepark (Divine Park), MSW & GSP, $283,782, Mashallah is out of a daughter of Aces, winner at two of the Astoria Stakes.
All in With Aces is also the dam of a juvenile colt by Mandaloun that fetched $225,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale.
6th-Keeneland, $110,000, Msw, 4-23, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:09.49, ft, 3 3/4 lengths.
MASHALLAH, f, 3, by Maxfield
1st Dam: All in With Aces, by Quiet American
2nd Dam: Aces, by Housebuster
3rd Dam: Sweetbreads, by Secretariat
Sales history: $165,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV; $210,000 RNA Ylg '24 KEESEP; $1,250,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $67,348. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-JR Ranch; B-Taylor Made Stallions Inc., Louis Brooks Ranch Ltd, Baysore Stables, Spence Houlihan, et al (KY); T-Brendan P Walsh.
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