Briecat says 'cheese' following Bayakoa win

Briecat was uncatchable in the Bayakoa (Benoit Photo) David and Holly Wilson's BRIECAT (Adcat) earned her third straight win when holding off the late run of Model (Giant's Causeway) and drawing off to record a 2 1/4-length decision in Sunday's $150,000 Bayakoa H. (G2). Jockey Jon Court sent the Vladimir Cerin charge straight to the front when the gates opened to set splits of :23 2/5, :46, 1:09 3/5 and 1:33 4/5. Model, the even-money favorite, began her move swinging off the turn and appeared for a moment an easy winner. However, that Neil Drysdale trainee began to hang in midstretch as Briecat suddenly seemed to find another gear. The eventual winner finished up the 1 1/16-mile test over Hollywood Park's Cushion Track in 1:40 1/5, returning $28.80, $8.80 and $4.60 at 13-1. Model was anything but prior to the Bayakoa, giving Drysdale plenty of grief when it came time to be saddled. Though the girth was finally tightened, the conditioner still couldn't put blinkers on the bay filly, who was rearing, bucking and twisting the entire time she was in the paddock. It was finally decided that the starters would put the blinkers on the filly after she'd been allowed to blow off some steam in the warm-up under Michael Baze. The last-minute change in plans worked and Model finally entered the gate fully equipped, but her pre-race antics may have cost her a shot at victory.

The four-year-old Model was three lengths in front of Wake Up Maggie (Ire)

(Xaar) on the wire, paying $3.20 and $2.20 while ending the $38.80 exacta ($1).

Show was worth $2.80 as the 3-1 second choice, and the $1 trifecta gave back

$151.50. Baroness Thatcher (Johannesburg), off at 6-1, finished the $510.90

superfecta (6-1-7-4) ($1), and completing the order under the wire were Double

Trouble (Brz) (Wild Event), Spenditallbaby (Unusual Heat) and Bai and Bai

(Falstaff). Lady Digby (Grand Slam) was withdrawn.

Briecat broke her maiden at Santa Anita in January, then

shipped to Turf Paradise to add the Arizona Oaks to her line. She wasn't a

factor in her next four over the spring and summer, but showed much more when returning to

Turf Paradise in October, just missing by a nose in the Sun Devil S. Since that

one, the chestnut lass has taken an allowance on Hollywood's Cushion Track and

then traveled back to Arizona to capture the grassy Chandler S. prior to this one. The

three-year-old miss now owns a 10-5-1-0 mark to go along with $226,800 in

earnings.

Bred in Florida by Ocala Oaks Inc. and Don R. Graham, Briecat is the second registered

foal out of the unraced Silk Briefcase (Marlin). Briecat's third dam is

eight-time stakes queen Klassy Briefcase (Medieval Man), who would go on to

produce stakes victors Stu's Choice (Afleet) and Mr. Miesque (Miesque's Son).