 | |
Take the Ribbon (outside) and Quite a Bride reached the wire in tandem
(Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com) |
Eurowest Bloodstock's homebred TAKE THE RIBBON (Chester House) rallied
furiously to nip Quite a Bride (Stormy Atlantic) in the last jump of Saturday's
$166,350
Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. (G3) on Kentucky Derby Day. Trained by Wally
Dollase and ridden by Rafael Bejarano, the four-year-old filly stopped the
teletimer in 1:36 4/5 on Churchill's yielding turf in her 2007 debut.In the opening stages, Rich Fantasy (Richter Scale) dictated a steady tempo
of :24 1/5, :48 4/5 and 1:13 2/5. Quite a Bride kept a watchful eye in second,
while Take the Ribbon strode comfortably another 1 1/2 lengths adrift in third.
The pacesetter dug in at the top of the stretch and tried to maintain her
advantage, but Quite a Bride was storming on the outside and seized command in
midstretch. Take the Ribbon was also gearing up widest of all and began to pose
a serious danger. Approaching the line, Quite a Bride still held the edge, but
Take the Ribbon's last-gasp surge was just enough to snare the victory.
"I can't do anything wrong today," quipped Dollase, whose first
runner scored in the 3RD race. "I call this a complete luck-out win.
Anytime you win by an inch, it's a luck-out win.
"We gave her a rest after she had eight hard races last year,
including three in Grade 1 company," Dollase continued. "She was always
a cut below those, but she had a ton of ability, and I knew she would do
well if we put her in the right company."
Leaving the gate as the 7-2 third choice in a scratch-reduced field of five,
Take the Ribbon returned $9, $3.80 and $3. The nearly 5-2 Quite a Bride was
unfortunate to lose on the head-bob, giving back $3.40 and $2.60 while ending
the $29 exacta. Rich Fantasy crossed the wire 2 1/2 lengths farther back,
yielding $2.80 at 4-1 and completing the $89.80 trifecta. The 6-5 favorite,
Magnificent Song (Unbridled's Song), wasn't able to make an impression after
rating well off the pace and checked in fourth, resulting in a 7-5-2-6
superfecta worth $84.80. Culpeper Moon (Malibu Moon) wound up a tailed-off last.
Price Tag (GB) (Dansili [GB]) and Lady of Venice (Fr) (Loup Solitaire), who
would likely have been the top two in the wagering, were withdrawn.
Take the Ribbon was earning her second stakes win, having captured the
Heavenly Cause H. at this course and distance last July. She finished second in
both the Garden City Breeders' Cup S. (G1) and Del Mar Oaks (G1), but she was
disqualified for causing interference in the latter and placed fourth. Take the
Ribbon had not raced since her fifth-place effort in the Queen Elizabeth II
Invitational Challenge Cup S. (G1) at Keeneland in October. Her scoreline now
reads 10-3-2-1 with $285,402 in her account.
|
