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Aragorn arrives in Shoemaker Ballygallon Stud's homebred ARAGORN (Ire) (Giant's Causeway) stalked the early pace in Monday's $321,000 Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile S. (G1), then pounced leaving the far turn and opened up an insurmountable lead in the stretch. Piloted by Corey Nakatani, the Neil Drysdale charge finished 1 3/4 lengths ahead of his nearest pursuer, getting the mile on the firm turf at Hollywood Park in a smart 1:32 4/5. The speedy Willow O Wisp (Misnomer) recovered from an awkward start to assume command through fractions of :24 3/5, :47 4/5 and 1:10 3/5, but he had no answer when Aragorn strode past. Charmo (Fr) (Charnwood Forest [Ire]) and 9-5 favorite Silent Name (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) gave valiant if futile chase, with Charmo outfighting his foe by a neck for second. As the highest price in the field at more than 6-1, Aragorn paid $15, $6.20 and $3.20. Charmo, second choice at 7-2, gave back $5 and $3 while ending the $26.50 exacta ($1), and Silent Name yielded $2.40, making the 7-2-4 trifecta ($1) worth $81. Willow O Wisp reported home 1 1/2 lengths back in fourth, trailed by Diamond Green (Fr) (Green Desert) and Milk It Mick (GB) (Millkom [GB]). Terroplane (Fr) (Verglas [Ire]) was withdrawn. Aragorn's mark now reads 10-3-4-1 with $465,325 in his account. The four-year-old chestnut had earned his first stakes score in the Oak Tree Derby (G2) last October, and in his two starts in 2006, he was a narrowly beaten runner-up in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. (G1) and was second to Charmo in the San Francisco Breeders' Cup Mile S. (G2). The Irish-bred winner is out of Onaga (Mr. Prospector), who has an unraced juvenile filly named Kaseema (Storm Cat), a yearling colt named Omnicat (Storm Cat) and a 2006 filly by Giant's Causeway, a full sister to Aragorn. Onaga is a full sister to Grade 2 winner and French classic-placed Sha Tha, who is herself the dam of French Group 2 winner and former highweight State Shinto (Pleasant Colony). Another full sister, Tacha, is the dam of 2003 European champion two-year-old colt One Cool Cat (Storm Cat). Onaga's dam, Savannah Dancer (Northern Dancer), winner of the 1985 Del Mar Oaks (G2) along with three other stakes, was a daughter of 1966 Irish champion three-year-old filly and dual classic heroine *Valoris II (*Tiziano II).
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