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Quite a Mint Julep for the Bride Haras Santa Maria de Araras' homebred QUITE A BRIDE (Stormy Atlantic) made every pole a winning one in Saturday's $164,100 Mint Julep H. (G3) at Churchill Downs, setting uncontested splits in :24 4/5, :48 2/5 and 1:11 3/5 before accelerating for home. Magnificent Song (Unbridled's Song) chased her throughout, but the runner-up could never make serious headway on the front runner as Quite a Bride eventually finished 2 1/4 lengths clear, completing 8 1/2 furlongs on the firm turf in a course-record 1:40.70. Trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Robby Albarado, the four-year-old filly paid $7.60, $5 and $2.40 as the nearly 3-1 second choice. "I figured it was just a matter of how slow I could get her going on the front end," Albarado said. "She did it within herself, and she had her ears up. She felt some pressure from the outside and kind of stretched herself out and finished up well." Winner of last year's Boiling Springs S. (G3), Pebbles S. and Trenton S., Quite a Bride opened her 2007 campaign with a victory in the Turf Distaff S. at Tampa Bay Downs and finished second by a nose in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. (G3) most recently. She also placed in the Mrs. Revere S. (G2) and Lake George S. (G3) as a sophomore. Out of the Blushing Groom (Fr) mare Wise Bride, the Florida-bred filly is a half-sister to stakes winner and Grade 3-placed Goulash (Mari's Book), who is better known as the dam of multiple champion and $3.9 million earner Ashado (Saint Ballado), Grade 2 victor Sunriver (Saint Ballado) and Grade 3 hero Saint Stephen (Saint Ballado). Quite a Bride also has an unraced juvenile half-brother named Sang Froid (Montbrook). Grade 1 winner Magnificent Song, the 7-2 third choice, returned $4.80 and $2.20. Danzon (Royal Academy), the 4-5 favorite, raced at the back of the pack before closing belatedly for third, 3 1/2 lengths back of the runner-up, and gave back $2.10. The exacta totaled $32.40, the trifecta $50 and the 4-1-6-7 superfecta, with the 18-1 Delicate Dynamite (Old Trieste) in fourth, was $273.20. Rich in Spirit (Repriced) and Aunt Henny (Hennessy) completed the order of finish. Rich Fantasy (Richter Scale) was scratched. Quite a Bride has now earned $442,754 from a 13-7-1-2 line.
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