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Mom shows her heels to Distaff foes
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| Tar Heel Mom finally broke
through with a graded score in the Distaff
(Ross Woodson/Horsephotos.com) |
After a frustrating winter at Gulfstream Park where she settled for second or
third in three straight graded appearances, Alex Rankin's TAR HEEL MOM (Flatter)
welcomed the returned to Aqueduct for Saturday's $147,000
Distaff
H. (G2). The five-year-old mare ran her Big A main track record to 4-2-2-0
with a front-running score in the seven-furlong dash under Ramon Dominguez.
Clipping off fractions in :22 and :44 4/5, Tar Heel Mom held sway despite
getting noticeably tired through the lane, passing the wire 2 1/2 lengths in
front in a time of 1:24 2/5 over the muddy strip. The 9-5 favorite, trained by
Stanley Hough, returned $5.60, $2.90 and $2.10.
After turning back a brief challenge from Thunders Dove (Thunderello)
approaching the far turn, Tar Heel Mom next had to deal with Hour Glass
(Petionville), who made a nice inside bid racing toward the quarter pole then
switched outside of the leader for a clear path. However, she did not cut into
the lead in the final three-sixteenths and had to settle for second as the near
3-1 third choice. Hour Glass returned $3.30 and $2.30. Matchless Orinda (Sky
Mesa), the 5-2 second choice, maintained her position in third throughout the
Distaff, gamely holding off Justwhistledixie (Dixie Union) for the show by a
head. Two lengths behind Hour Glass at the finish, Matchless Orinda paid $2.30.
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The exacta was worth $15 and the 3-4-5 trifecta gave back $27.20. Thunders
Dove trailed the field of five after the scratch of Strut the Canary
(Mineshaft), who was shipped instead to Charles Town for the Sugar Maple S.
Saturday night.
A three-time winner in the overnight stakes ranks the past two seasons, in
the Meadow Star, Seton Hall University and In Her Glory, Tar Heel Mom struggled
twice against graded foes last year before improving in that area at Gulfstream
over the last several months. A head third as the favorite in the Sugar Swirl S.
(G3) in January, she was a half-length second in the Hurricane Bertie S. (G3) in
her next start then settled for the same position in the Inside Information S.
(G2) last time. This initial graded score boosted her career earnings to
$457,192 from a line of 19-7-5-3.
Bred in Kentucky by Upson Downs Farm, Tar Heel Mom was produced from the
winning Perpetual Light (Sunny's Halo) and is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner
and Preakness S. (G1) runner-up Scrappy T (Fit to Fight) as well as yearling
filly by Rockport Harbor. This is also the family of Grade 3 victor Country Be
Gold (Summer Squall).
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