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Mauralakana stars on Turf Million Day
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Mauralakana outdueled rival J'ray in the Mairzy Doates
(Jim Lisa Photos) |
Robert Scarborough's MAURALAKANA (Fr) (Muhtathir [GB]) mastered a stubborn
J'ray (Distant View) to garner the inaugural running of the $300,000
Mairzy Doates H. on Saturday, kicking off Calder's first-ever Turf Million
program. The Mairzy Doates was one of four stakes, worth a total of $1.15
million, on the card.
The 1 3/8-mile Mairzy Doates played out according to form, with the two top
mares on paper fighting out the finish on the course. Mauralakana, the 4-5
favorite, was reserved in sixth early by a confident Rene Douglas. Meanwhile, an
eager Eclisse (Fr) (Ski Chief) sprinted out to a clear lead through fractions of
:48 2/5, 1:14 and 1:38 1/5. Turning for home, the hitherto stalking J'ray
pounced on the pacesetter and drove to the front. The patient Douglas followed
her aboard Mauralakana, peeled to the outside in the stretch, and took aim.
J'ray soldiered on, but Mauralakana had too much firepower and went on to subdue
her rival by three-quarters of a length.
"It was just a matter of moving at the right moment," Douglas said. "When I
turned her loose at the head of the stretch, I knew we were going to win. She
lengthens her stride so much when you need her to, that you get very confident
in what she can accomplish."
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Mauralakana stopped the teletimer in 2:13 4/5 on the firm turf and furnished
payouts of $3.80, $2.20 and $2.40. J'ray pulled 5 1/4 lengths ahead of her
nearest pursuer, Leap in the Sun (Anees), who in turn had 3 1/4 lengths to spare
over Eclisse. The exotics totaled $7.80 (exacta), $33.60 (trifecta) and $85.60
(2-4-3-8 superfecta).
The winner now sports a mark of 23-8-3-3, $773,276. The Mairzy Doates was
Mauralakana's fifth stakes score, following tallies in the 2005 Prix de Cabourg
(Fr-G3), 2006 Prix Imprudence, 2007 Locust Grove H. (G3) and The Very One H.
(G3) two starts back. The five-year-old bay has placed in six stakes events,
most notably the 2005 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Fr-G1) and the 2006 Queen
Elizabeth II Invitational Challenge Cup S. (G1). She was coming off a runner-up
effort in the Orchid H. (G3).
Bred in France by S.A.R.L. Classic Breeding and M. Hassan, Mauralakana is a
half-sister to multiple French stakes queen Petit Calva (Desert King). She is
out of the winning Double Bed (Fr) mare Jimkana, a full sister to renowned
globetrotter and multiple highweight Jim and Tonic (Fr).
Trainer Christophe Clement, who sent out SPORTING ART (Doneraile Court) to
capture the Calder Derby (G3) later on the program, has penciled in the May 24
Sheepshead Bay H. (G2) at Belmont Park as the next probable target for
Mauralakana.
"After that, we'll have to see," Clement said. "She's owned by an Australian
breeder and could be sent home to be bred in July. We'll discuss it."
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Ginger Brew flew home in the Calder Oaks
(Jim Lisa Photos) |
The positive trend toward favorites continued in the $200,000
Calder
Oaks, as 2-1 choice GINGER BREW (Milwaukee Brew) rallied to a 1 1/4-length
decision in her stakes bow. A Stronach Stables homebred conditioned by Brian
Lynch, Ginger Brew secured an outside tracking trip beneath Javier Castellano.
The longest shot on the board, the 52-1 Encanto Park (Exchange Rate), showed the
way while carving out splits of :23 3/5, :48 1/5 and 1:11 2/5, and the
upset-minded filly tried to hold on in the stretch. Ginger Brew was full of run,
however, and stormed home late to put the outsider in her place. The chestnut
completed 1 1/8 grassy miles in 1:47 1/5, more than doubling her earnings to
$199,566 from her 5-3-2-0 line. Ginger Brew returned $6.20, $2.80 and $2.80
while keying the $20 exacta, $289.40 trifecta and $1,050.40 (2-5-9-1 superfecta).
Life Is Sweet (Storm Cat), the 2-1 second choice, endured a troubled start
that relegated her to a position near the back of the pack early. She made
eye-catching progress in deep stretch to take home runner-up honors by 2 1/2
lengths. Encanto Park held third by a half-length from Shes All Eltish (Eltish).
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"I was tracking the one horse (Shes All Eltish) most of the way around
there because I figured she was the one to beat," Castellano said. "It looked to me as
if that filly did not have the best of trips or didn't like being down on the
inside. Either way, we were in the perfect position. I've always liked this
filly, but she really impressed me today with the way she exploded when I asked
her to finish."
Ginger Brew was bred in Ontario, Canada, by Stronach's Adena Springs. The
versatile filly has performed well on Polytrack, dirt and turf. She broke her
maiden at first asking in October at Woodbine, and she opened her sophomore
campaign with a pair of second-place performances in Gulfstream Park allowances.
Ginger Brew was exiting an impressive four-length triumph in a Gulfstream turf
allowance.
Out of the winning Coral Necklace (Conquistador Cielo), Ginger Brew has an
unraced juvenile half-brother named Bourbon Bay (Sligo Bay [Ire]) and an unnamed
yearling half-brother by Awesome Again. This is the family of Grade 2 hero and
classic-placed Vision and Verse (Storm Cat), who was beaten only a head in the
1999 Belmont S. (G1).
According to Lynch, Ginger Brew will head back to Canada for her next
objectives, the May 18 Selene S. (Can-G3) and the June 8 Woodbine Oaks.
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It was no secret who won the Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint
(Jim Lisa Photos) |
Wrapping up the Turf Million festivities was the $214,500
Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint Championship H., which put an end to the good
fortune of favorites. Clement's In Summation (Put It Back) was dispatched as the
6-5 choice to give his conditioner his third stakes win of the day, but he never
landed a blow from off the pace and wound up sixth. Instead, Balkrisna
Sukharan's speed machine LOOKINFORTHESECRET (Cimarron Secret) ran his rivals
ragged from the opening bell to bag his biggest career victory. With Daniel
Centeno in the irons, the Jamie Ness charge set torrid fractions of :21 1/5 and
:43 1/5 before blitzing five furlongs in :55. Leaving the gate at 6-1,
Lookinforthesecret yielded $14.60, $9.20 and $3.40.
"You would think that five furlongs is not his distance since he is such a
big horse," Centeno said, "but he just exploded out of the gate and blew the
other speed horses away. He was extra sharp today."
Not Acclaim (Awesome Again) gave game chase throughout and checked in 1 1/2
lengths astern of the winner. It was another three-quarters of a length back to
Heros Reward (Partner's Hero) in third. The exacta paid $306.40, the trifecta
$2,078, and with Lord Robyn (Robyn Dancer) in fourth, the 4-10-9-5 superfecta
was worth $22,676.
Lookinforthesecret now boasts seven stakes scores, including this year's Super
S., Pelican S. and a successful title defense in the Turf Dash S. In his prior
start, he finished runner-up in the Florida Cup Sprint S. for the second straight year, a
loss that snapped a five-race winning streak. The reformed claimer, who was
haltered by Ness for $12,500 in January 2007, improved his record to 33-17-7-1,
$512,918.
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Bred by Francis McDonnell in Florida, the six-year-old chestnut was produced
by the unraced Looking Better (Vicksburg). This is the family of multiple Grade
1 star Bushfire (Louis Quatorze).
Ness mentioned that Lookinforthesecret will aim for a repeat bid in the Honor
the Hero Turf Express S. at Canterbury on May 26.
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