Sippin Pretty swoops late in $55.18 upset of Victory Ride

Bettors overlooked the Ian Wilkes duo going into Friday’s $225,000 Victory Ride (G3) at Saratoga, but there was no missing them at the finish. As the 26-1 Sippin Pretty mowed down favored Goodall, stablemate A Fine Chardonnay closed from last to take third at 19-1.

Goodall at least ran her race as the slight 2.07-1 favorite, unlike fellow Spendthrift Farm colorbearer Tommy Jo. The 2.57-1 second choice in her belated sophomore bow, Tommy Jo broke slowly, never factored, and trailed home.

On one level, the Victory Ride result could be viewed as disappointing for Spendthrift as an owner. But it was a triumph for the Bluegrass nursery as a stallion operation. 

Sippin Pretty and Goodall are both by Spendthrift stallion Yaupon. In addition to his Victory Ride exacta, the young sire sent out exciting juvenile Booked to dominate the Sanford (G3) July 4 at Saratoga.

Although Sippin Pretty was a longshot at the Spa, she had rated a 6-1 chance in her stakes debut in the May 1 Eight Belles (G2) at Churchill Downs. Sippin Pretty was a lackluster sixth that day, failing to get involved early, as she had done in her Gulfstream Park maiden and Keeneland allowance romps. 

“I loved her that day and really thought she'd run big,” Wilkes said of the Eight Belles, “but she broke bad and just wasn't herself that day. She made a run at the end of that race, but just wasn't herself. So, I freshened her up with the idea to run her in here with the Test S. (G1) down the road.”

Sippin Pretty signaled that she was very much herself from the start on Friday. With new rider Ricardo Santana Jr. aboard, she secured good early position from her rail post, camped just behind the leaders in fourth.

“Break good and then ride the race,” Wilkes said of his instructions to Santana. “The only thing I asked him was to break good. If she was on the lead, that's fine, if she's sitting second or third – I wanted her in the race, that's her style. She's naturally quick."

Up front, comebacker Iron Orchard was pressed by Mythical through fractions of :22.13 and :45.79. Neither was able to maintain the pace into the stretch. Iron Orchard was apparently ring-rusty from an eight-month layoff, while Mythical had acted up prior to the start, burst through the gate prematurely, and had to be reloaded.

Goodall, who was well placed in an attending third on the outside, appeared poised to take advantage. Pouncing on the leaders turning for home, the favorite drove two lengths clear in midstretch.

But Santana already angled Sippin Pretty outside, and inside the final sixteenth, she wore down Goodall. 

“I’m going to be honest,” Santana said. “I asked Brian (Hernandez Jr.). He rode her last time, and we don’t know if she doesn’t like the kickback or was intimidated (in the Eight Belles)…but she broke a little step slow and sits in there, she never took the bridle. Ian (Wilkes) said, ‘if you break, she’s going to do the rest,’ and she did it.”

Goodall’s rider, Flavien Prat, credited the winner for nabbing them. 

“I thought the pace wasn’t crazy fast,” Prat recapped, “and I was able to get first run. She ran a good race, she just got caught.

“She gave me a good run turning for home, and I thought, honestly, she ran her race, the other horse just ran me down.”

Sippin Pretty won going away by 1 1/4 lengths. Goodall was easily best of the rest by 3 1/4 lengths from A Fine Chardonnay, who made up considerable ground in deep stretch.

“Big run,” Wilkes said of A Fine Chardonnay’s third-place effort with Hernandez, her regular pilot. “I'm very proud of her. For a moment, I thought she was going to catch both of them the way she started making that run. She made a very decisive move."

Sneaky Good checked in fourth after a stumbling start, followed by Carmel Coast, Peach Tie, Tessellate, Mythical, Iron Orchard, and Tommy Jo.

Sippin Pretty clocked 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.59 and rewarded her loyalists with $55.18. Campaigned by Randall Bloch, Six Column Stables, Mike Davis, and Gene E. Rice, the dark bay sports a mark of 5-3-1-0, $257,190.

“We are pretty stoked and pretty excited,” Bloch said. “I was just screaming, saying ‘let’s go!’ She did fire today, and we’re really excited.

“Ian (Wilkes) picked her out at the sale,” he added of the $75,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling. “Ian is family, and we’ve been training with him for almost 25 years.”

Wilkes scouted out a bargain because Sippin Pretty initially brought $150,000 at Keeneland January, and she RNA’d for $190,000 at the same venue in September. Bred by Clarkland Farm in Kentucky, she is out of the multiple Canadian stakes winner Tiz Imaginary, by Tizway. This is the further family of mother and daughter champions Flanders and Surfside.

Sippin Pretty and A Fine Chardonnay will head home to the Skylight Training Center near Louisville. While Sippin Pretty will make a return trip for the Aug. 8 Test, A Fine Chardonnay’s itinerary has yet to be finalized.

“Sippin Pretty, definitely, 100 percent,” Wilkes said of her Test plans. The other filly (A Fine Chardonnay), I'll talk to the owners (Philip Griesinger) and see what they want to do. I'll evaluate, but most likely we come back here.

“I'll take them both home. I'm not here (at Saratoga), and I’ve got (turf star) Burnham Square back there, so I'll train the fillies there.”