Close Hatches pulls clear in Personal Ensign

Juddmonte Farms'

Close Hatches quickly took command of Friday's Grade 1, $500,000

Personal Ensign and led every step of the way en route to an easy

five-length victory over

Saratoga's muddy dirt.

"She's already a Grade 1 winner, and she just carried on that tradition

today," Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott simply stated. "Our plan right now, and has been since Keeneland went back

to dirt, was to go to the (Grade 1, $500,000) Spinster (on October 5)."

Close Hatches was never challenged while setting :23, :46 3/5, 1:11 and 1:36

4/5 fractions under jockey Joel Rosario. Antipathy tried to go early with the

Mott trainee but fell back and was closest of all rivals down the

backstretch. Fiftyshadesofhay slipped through on the rail nearing the final turn

while Princess of Sylmar, sporting blinkers for the first time, ranged up beside

Antipathy as those three ran in tandem entering the lane.

At no point did Close Hatches or Rosario appear troubled by the trio. The

First Defence filly just kept motoring in the stretch to cross under the wire in

1:50 3/5 for 1 1/8 miles over the muddy, sealed, track. She returned $5.90 for

the win as the 9-5 favorite.

"I did not expect it to be wire-to-wire," Rosario admitted. "It looked like another horse was going

to go to the lead. It looked like Irad took a little hold (of

Antipathy) and I just took my position. Turning for home, I expected Princess of

Sylmar to show up, but she didn't.

"(My horse) looked good out there; she was

doing it nice and easy and it was a good race for her. She's a nice filly with a

long stride. I'm not surprised she went that fast."

"My

instructions to (Rosario) were to be wherever he was comfortable," Mott said. "We

didn't know who might try to go to the lead. We thought Antipathy or (Majestic

River) might try to go to the lead. He gave them the opportunity (to go the

lead) going into the first turn. We were laying second going into first turn,

but (Close Hatches) was full of run. (Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.) kind of snugged (Antipathy) up, it looked like, and took a little bit of a hold of her, and we

inherited the lead."

Fiftyshadesofhay lost the war but won the battle over Antipathy and Princess

of Sylmar, taking second by 3 3/4 lengths. Stanwyck actually got up for third, 3

1/4 lengths clear of Antipathy, while Princess of Sylmar trailed by another 1

1/4 lengths in fifth. Belle Gallantey, upset winner of the Delaware Handicap

last out, and recent Molly Pitcher heroine Majestic River completed the order of

finish.

"She got hung out a little wide on the first turn but ended up

in a good position on the backside," explained Princess of Sylmar's trainer,

Todd Pletcher. "(Jockey Javier Castellano) ended up in a good spot down the

backside and said she felt great, moving really well until about the

three-eighths pole and then she just kind of turned him loose.

"It didn't seem like (running in the mud was a problem) for the first

five-eighths (of a mile). It seemed like she was in a decent position and

handling it pretty well. She's run OK on an off track before.

"It wasn't like he was having to ask her to try to keep up with Close Hatches.

So, I don't know. Back to the drawing board."

"I really don't have the answer," Castellano agreed. "She

had a beautiful spot today, and on the backside she was really running, but when

she got to the quarter-pole she was done. I didn't have horse at all.

"I think the blinkers helped a lot," the reinsman added. "She used to be too far

back, and with the blinkers she was a little more into the race. It just wasn't

her day today."

Close Hatches has now captured six of her last seven, with the only

interruption coming via a runner-up effort in the

Breeders' Cup Distaff

last November. Thanks to her win in the Personal Ensign, which is part of the

Breeders' Cup "Win &

You're In" challenge series, she earned a second shot at that contest with

an guaranteed spot in the Distaff starting gate at Santa Anita.

Close Hatches is actually 9-2-0 from 12 career starts now and has accumulated

$2,682,300 in lifetime earnings. Her only off-the-board run came when seventh in

last year's

Kentucky Oaks, which she preceded with three straights wins culminating in

the Gazelle at Aqueduct.

The dark bay four-year-old followed her Kentucky Oaks loss with a second in

the Acorn but got back on track when taking the Mother Goose and Cotillion

leading up to the Breeders' Cup, after which she was given a four-month break.

Close Hatches made her seasonal bow in the Azeri at

Oaklawn Park

and stayed at that Hot Springs, Arkansas, venue to add the Apple Blossom

Handicap to her resume next out. She entered the Personal Ensign off a head

score in the Ogden Phipps last out at

Belmont Park.

Bred in Kentucky by Millsec Ltd., Close Hatches is the first registered foal

out of the winning Storm Cat mare Rising Tornado, who is herself a daughter of

the listed-placed Zafonic mare Silver Star. Close Hatches' third dam is the

Group 3-winning Sir Ivor mare Monroe, from whom is descended the likes of

English, Irish and French highweight sire Xaar and multiple Grade 1-winning

stallion Senure.

Most notably, Close Hatches' fourth dam is the blue-hen mare Best in Show,

who was honored as the 1982 Broodmare of the Year. She is the dam of 1982

Kentucky Oaks queen Blush With Pride, who is the granddam of champion Rags to

Riches, Jazil and Man of Iron. Rags to Riches captured the 2007 editions of the

Belmont Stakes and

Kentucky Oaks, Jazil was king of the 2006 Belmont Stakes and Man if Iron proved

victorious in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Marathon.

Best in Show is the ancestress of numerous champions and highweights,

including top sires Aldebaran, Spinning World, Redoute's Choice and El Gran

Senor.

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