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Pine Island scores in Alabama

Pine Island captured her first stakes in style on Saturday (Debra Kral/Horsephotos.com) Phipps Stable's homebred PINE ISLAND (Arch) fulfilled her connections' expectations in Saturday's $600,000 Alabama S. (G1), running down the pacesetting Teammate (A.P. Indy) in late stretch to earn her first stakes victory. With Javier Castellano aboard, the dark bay sophomore was sent off the even-money favorite in the nine-horse field and paid out $4.30, $3.20 and $2.50 to her backers. Pyramid Love (Fusaichi Pegasus) was quickest from the gate when the doors opened, but Teammate soon overtook her to lead the field through fractions of :23 2/5, :47 1/5 and 1:11 4/5. Pine Island and Castellano were content to run next to last while saving ground through the half, then came out a bit on the backstretch and started making up ground. Angling back toward the rail from her four-wide spot, Pine Island was briefly blocked on the turn, but was soon able to split horses and set her sights on Teammate. With the wire approaching fast, Pine Island steadily wore down her rival, eventually pulling off for the 1 1/4-length win. She completed the 1 1/4 miles on the fast track in 2:02 4/5. "No matter what, I wanted to make one big run with her," Castellano explained. "She's a big filly with a long stride. Today, she was pretty sharp. She broke well and she wanted to be close. She responded very well." Teammate was easily best of the rest, 8 1/2 lengths up on Lemons Forever (Lemon Drop Kid) to pay $11.20 and $7.60 at 15-1. Lemons Forever, this year's Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner, was sent off at nearly 11-1 odds and gave back $5 while holding third by 1 3/4 lengths over Unbridled Belle (Broken Vow). Adieu (El Corredor), Wonder Lady Anne L (Real Quiet), Miss Shop (Deputy Minister) and Ex Caelis (Fusaichi Pegasus) finished out the order under the wire. Pyramid Love was eased in the stretch and did not finish. The exotics were worth $69 (exacta), $372 (trifecta) and $3,141 (1-6-3-9 superfecta).

Pine Island broke her maiden by a neck on the turf at Gulfstream Park, then took a three-month break before returning in an off-the-turf allowance at Belmont, taking that one by 5 1/2 lengths. After such a scintillating run on the dirt, albeit on a sloppy track, trainer Shug McGaughey made the decision to keep the dark bay miss on the main track, running her next in the Mother Goose S. (G1) and Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) where she ran second by three parts of a length each time. Finally breaking through in this one, Pine Island now boasts a 5-3-2-0 record with $516,800 in lifetime earnings.

"I thought she got into the flow of the race good," McGaughey said. "I thought she kicked hard the last part of it. She got into a good stride. I'm not sure she got to do that in the Mother Goose or the Coaching Club. Today, her running style was much improved over the other two races.

"She should have a big future in front of her," he continued. "This was her best race, and there are still things to learn. I threw her to the wolves quick and ran her in Grade 1s in her third, fourth and fifth start. That's really not my style."

The Kentucky-bred miss is out of the winning Seeking the Gold mare Matlacha Pass, who has also produced the stakes-placed Chili Cat (Storm Cat), an unraced juvenile filly named Voyage (Rahy) and a yearling colt called Offshore (Giant's Causeway). Matlacha Pass is a full sister to last year's Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) heroine Pleasant Home as well as multiple Grade 2 winner Country Hideaway. Pine Island followed in the hoofsteps of her third dam, Maplejinsky (Nijinsky II), who won the 1988 Alabama and later produced champion Sky Beauty (Blushing Groom [Fr]), whose nine Grade 1 wins include a score in the 1993 Alabama. Pine Island's fourth dam, champion sprinter Gold Beauty (Mr. Prospector), also produced world class sprinter and sire Dayjur, England's Horse of the Year in 1990.

McGaughey mentioned the September 9 Gazelle S. (G1) at Belmont Park as well as the October 8 Spinster S. (G1) at Keeneland as possible future starts for Pine Island.

"I'm going to take a good look at the Gazelle, because I think Bushfire (Louis Quatorze) might run back there and it might give us a chance to try her one more time," he said.

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