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Bauble Queen runs down Turning Top in Frankel
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| Bauble Queen scored a breakthrough win in her first chance at nine furlongs
(Benoit Photos) |
Class Racing Stable's Bauble Queen finished fast to reel in a
loose-on-the-lead Turning Top in the Grade 2, $150,000
Robert J. Frankel Stakes, the New Year's Day feature at Santa Anita.
Aside from notching her first stakes victory, the Eric Kruljac filly
capped a memorable 40th birthday for jockey Garrett Gomez, who swept
both of Sunday's stakes.
Gomez had earlier won the Kalookan Queen Handicap aboard the
impressive Rumor. Ironically, Bauble Queen had finished a distant second
to Rumor in their mutual debut on December 31, 2010. A year and a day
later, the two starred on their fourth official birthday.
Bauble Queen raced in fifth for most of the 1 1/8-mile turf test, as
Turning Top controlled the pace. After setting fractions of :24 2/5, :49
1/5 and 1:12 3/5, Turning Top spurted clear swinging for home and
rapidly opened up by three lengths. The front runner appeared to have
delivered the winning move, but she began to shorten stride a bit in
deep stretch.
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Although her longtime pursuer Miss Mittagong and 9-5 favorite City to City
were unable to get to her, Bauble Queen was catching fire wider out, relishing
the added ground in her first attempt at this distance. The 3-1 second choice
swooped to deprive Turning Top in the shadow of the post and won going away by a
half-length. Bauble Queen, who finished in 1:48 1/5 on the firm course, gave
back $8.80, $4.80 and $3.60.
"David (Flores on Turning Top) being on such a slow lead both was, and
wasn't, a concern of mine," Gomez said. "It wasn't like he was free on the lead.
They actually started quickening at about the 4 1/2-mark and started stretching
us out a little bit.
"I never had to give up any ground though. I was sitting in behind them
pretty easily the whole way. It was just a matter of if my filly would lengthen
at all when we turned for home. As it worked out, it was in our best interest.
My filly liked the mile-and-one-eighth for the first time and was able to run
them down."
"I was concerned about the slow fractions," Kruljac offered, "but we have to
be concerned about our filly and not let her get going too fast because she's a
little on the excitable side.
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| Jockey Garrett Gomez turned a stakes double on his 40th birthday
(Benoit Photos) |
"I was thankful that Garrett was rating her and she was in a position by
herself behind four horses with the 5-horse (Whisper Louise) in behind her. So I
was reasonably comfortable even though the fractions were so slow. We kind of
expected a slow pace when you looked at the past performances of the horses in
the race.
"You hate to change her running style, 'cause down the road, we'll get into
some races where we have a little more pace."
Turning Top saved second by a half-length from Miss Mittagong, who was a head
up on fourth-placer City to City. Next came Whisper Louise and Celestial Kitten.
Flores had nothing but praise for Turning Top's bid to go wire to wire.
"What can I say? I had a great trip, a great trip," Flores said. "We set a
very soft pace, no excuses. We just got beat on the wire. The winner just came
in the middle of the track and my filly never saw her. My filly is awesome to
ride and she made a good effort."
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Bauble Queen increased her earnings to $218,257 from her 8-3-2-2 line. The
newly-turned four-year-old has made steady progress since breaking her maiden
over Hollywood Park's Cushion Track on June 12. Bauble Queen switched to turf
and sailed through her first allowance/optional claiming condition, punching her
ticket to stakes company. Runner-up in the Sandy Blue Handicap and third in the
Grade 3 Harold C. Ramser, she reverted to Cushion Track and rallied for third in
the Grade 2 Bayakoa Handicap on December 4.
Bred by Payson Stud in Kentucky, Bauble Queen brought $130,000 as a Keeneland
September yearling. The dark bay was sired by Arch from the winning Muneefa, a
daughter of Storm Cat, who has also produced stakes winner Leamington. Bauble
Queen's second dam is multiple Grade 1 diva By Land by Sea.
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