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Gypsy Robin flies home in Beaumont

Gypsy Robin returned to the site of her debut win to take the Beaumont (Keeneland/Coady Photography) King 9 Stables, Gatewood Bell, Bret Jones and Wesley Ward's Gypsy Robin lived up to her name on Sunday when flying home to wire the Grade 2, $150,000 Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland. Jockey Jeffrey Sanchez sent the daughter of Daaher straight to the front when the gates opened, and the filly was never headed en route to a three-length victory. The Ward trainee paid $6.60, $3.40 and $2.60 as the 2-1 second choice. "It's indescribable," said co-owner Bell when asked about winning his first graded stakes at Keeneland. "I feel like (Masters winner) Bubba Watson did last week. I kinda lost it there for a second." Livi Mackenzie stalked Gypsy Robin just behind and to the outside as she set splits of :24 and :49, but couldn't hold off even-money favorite Sacristy as that one moved up to challenge rounding the turn. None of that mattered to Gypsy Robin, though, as the bay sophomore kept right on motoring in the lane to finish about seven furlongs on the Polytrack in 1:28 2/5. "I tried to run the same way as at Monmouth Park when she won (the Sorority last September)," Sanchez described his strategy. "I put her into the lead and tried to put everyone else to sleep."

Sacristy may have lost the war but she did win the battle for second with Livi Mackenzie. Milania came running from last to take fourth another 3 3/4 lengths back, while Piskacha and Born Bullish completed the order under the wire.

Gypsy Robin improved her career record to 5-3-0-0, $185,000, with the Beaumont win, which is her second straight stakes score. The bay miss returned to the site of her 7 1/2-length career debut win during last spring's meet, but found herself traveling overseas following that victory. Gypsy Robin showed up in England for Royal Ascot in June and reputed herself well in her only grass race when just 3 1/2 lengths back in seventh in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes.

Returning a month later stateside at Saratoga, the filly faded to fourth in the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes but showed signs of her earlier talent when closing out her juvenile campaign with a win in the Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park in September.

Bred in Kentucky by Cloyce C. Clark Jr., Gypsy Robin was a $27,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase. She is out of the stakes-winning Indian Charlie mare Feisty Princess and counts stakes victress Tiger Cat Lilly as a half-sister.

This female family has also produced multiple Grade/Group 1 winners Influent and Tel Quel as well as eight-time Group 3 veteran Girl Friend, who was runner-up in the Group 1 One Thousand Guineas and King's Stand during her career.

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