Marketing Mix captures Pucker Up

"Fourteen horses and (6-5) odds and that's a lot of pressure," said

Craig Bernick representing winning owner Glen Hill Farm. "Two races on

the grass and she's won pretty well both times. We always thought she'd

do well on grass. She's a Canadian-bred and the purses up there are huge

so we ran her on (Polytrack) a few times."

Marketing Mix paid $4.60, $3.80 and $3.40 for the victory. Sea Level Drive,

who kept in close attendance to the front runners on the backstretch, was a

half-length clear of third-placer Maid of Heaven (Empire Maker) on the wire.

"I'm tickled to death," said trainer Leigh Bentley, who was saddling her

first ever stakes starter in Sea Level Drive. "I knew this filly was a nice one

and she did us proud."

"We did everything right," added the filly's jockey, Corey Lanerie. "We just

tried to follow (Marketing Mix) all the way around. We got in a little bit of

traffic turning for home but I don't think we were going to beat the winner

anyway. She's a nice horse."

Summer Savory (Horse Chestnut [SAf]) followed by three parts of a length in

fourth, while the field was completed by Barbies M (Afleet Alex), Artemus Kitten

(Kitten's Joy), Angelica Zapata (Sharp Humor), Santina Dond (El Prado [Ire]),

Trac N Jam (El Corredor), Triune (E Dubai), Seans Silverdancer (Najran), Happy

Choice (Broken Vow), Don't Tell Sophia (Congaree) and Love Dare.

Marketing Mix's second dam is multiple Grade 3-placed Nimble Mind (Lyphard),

who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Contredance (Danzig), Grade 3 scorer

Shotiche (Northern Dancer), Grade 2-placed listed victor Old Alliance (Danzig)

and Nimble Feet (Danzig). The latter is the dam of Group 2-winning sire Eltish

(Cox's Ridge), who ran second in the 1994 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), and Grade

3 hero Forest Gazelle (Green Forest).

Nimble Mind is a full sister to Grade 2 heroine Skimble and Flit. Skimble

would go on in the breeding shed to produce Skimming (Nureyev), back-to-back

winner of the Pacific Classic (G1) (2000-01). Flit is responsible for 1999

English One Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) queen Wince (Selkirk), who in turn would

foal 2004 Yorkshire Oaks (Eng-G1) victress and St Leger S. (Eng-G1) second Quiff

(Sadler's Wells).