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Lovely Maria earns first stakes win in Ashland
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| Lovely Maria earned her shot at Kentucky Oaks glory with a nice win in the Ashland
(Keeneland/Coady Photography) |
Brereton C. Jones' Lovely Maria (Majesticperfection) was still seeking her
first stakes victory on Saturday when entering the gate of the $500,000
Ashland
S. (G1) at Keeneland but was still sent off the 9-5 favorite. The Larry
Jones-trained bay lived
up to those odds when easily running down Angela Renee (Bernardini) to take the
1 1/16-mile contest by 3 1/4 lengths under jockey Kerwin Clark.
It was not only the first stakes win for Lovely Maria, it was Clark's first
Grade 1 score after decades in the saddle. The duo will have the chance to make
it two in a row on May 1 at Churchill Downs, as the Ashland gave Lovely Maria
100 points toward a starting berth in the Kentucky Oaks (G1).
"It's been 40 years in the making. I thank God for (owner)
Mr. Brereton Jones and (trainer) Larry Jones -- I wouldn't be here if not for
them," Clark said.
Clark maneuvered Lovely Maria into a stalking third spot just
behind and outside of the battling leaders Temper Mint Patty (Congrats) and
Angela Renee in the Ashland. Those two duked it out through splits of :24 1/5, :48 2/5 and 1:12
4/5, with Angela Renee finally subduing her rival entering the lane. The bay
lass didn't have long to enjoy being on top as Lovely Maria came flying up to
her outside and right on past to stop the clock in 1:43 3/5 over the fast main
track.
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"It was a great trip. I thought I'd be more forwardly placed, maybe even on
the lead," Clark said. "She's a nice filly just coming into her own and you can
pretty much put her wherever you want her to be. She relaxed nice. Down the
backside she's laying third and her ears are flicking back and forth, and I
thought 'Boy, this is pretty good.' When I called on her she just accelerated."
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| Lovely Maria got the best of Angela Renee in the Ashland
(Wendy Wooley/EquiSport Photo) |
Angela Renee ran well to be second, 2 3/4 lengths up on Silverpocketsfull
(Indian Charlie) while Lassofthemohicans (Indian Charlie) came in fourth. Angela
Renee earned 40 points for a spot in the Kentucky Oaks starting gate, adding it
to the 17 she already boasted for winning last year's Chandelier S. (G1),
running third in the same season's Demoiselle S. (G2) and finishing fourth last
out in the Rachel Alexandra S. (G3).
Silverpocketsfull makes her debut on the Oaks leaderboard thanks to the 20
points she earned in this spot, while Lassofthemohicans moved up a few spots
with a total of 14 points after garnering 10 for fourth.
Lovely Maria, who paid $5.80 as the Ashland favorite, improved her career
record to 7-3-3-0, $402,600 with the win. She broke her maiden first out last
September at Delaware Park before recording a pair of seconds against
allowance/optional claiming rivals at Keeneland and Fair Grounds. The bay lass
closed out her juvenile campaign when trying stakes company for the first time
in the Trapeze S. at Remington Park, finishing fourth that day, and wired her
sophomore debut by 2 1/2 lengths at Fair Grounds on January 26.
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Lovely Maria, who was a $5,000 RNA as a weanling at Keeneland November,
entered the Ashland off a nice runner-up effort in the Rachel Alexandra. Bred in
Kentucky by Olin B. Gentry and Thomas B. Gaines, she is the first registered
stakes winner out of the unraced Thunder Cup (Thunder Gulch). That mare is a
half-sister to Grade 2 heroine Rare Blend (Bates Motel), who would go on in the
breeding shed to produce Grade 3 heroine Rare Gift (Unbridled's Song).
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