Seventh Street battles to victory in Go for Wand

Seventh Street (foreground) came again after being passed (Bill Roberts/Horsephotos.com) Godolphin Stable's SEVENTH STREET (Street Cry [Ire]) had a battle on her hands for every yard of Sunday's $300,000 Go for Wand H. (G1), her first attempt at nine furlongs. Despite finding a pace rival in Color Me Up (Aptitude), and a dangerous rail-skimming rally by Spritely (Touch Gold), the Saeed bin Suroor filly overcame every challenge to score by 1 1/2 lengths beneath Rajiv Maragh. Seventh Street, sent off as the 7-5 second choice, was her stable's only runner after entrymate Cocoa Beach (Chi) (Doneraile Court) was scratched. Although she broke sharply and held the lead going into the clubhouse turn, Seventh Street floated out wide. Color Me Up took full advantage to slip through to her inside and put her head in front, reeling off fractions of :23 2/5, :47 1/5 and 1:11 1/5 with Seventh Street bearing down to her outside. While Seventh Street finally shook free of Color Me Up, Spritely charged through along the rail turning for home and took the lead.

Spritely appeared to have made the decisive move as she opened up by 1 1/2

lengths in midstretch, but Seventh Street did not know she was beaten. Switching

back onto her left lead as she knuckled down on the sloppy, sealed, going, she

gradually clawed back the deficit, and overhauled Spritely. Seventh Street

stopped the teletimer in 1:51 and paid $4.90, $2.70 and $2.20.

"We thought if we could get off the rail, that would be the thing -- so we

didn't get bottled up," assistant trainer Rick Mettee said. "(Maragh) did it and

I give him a lot of credit. She needed all the help she could get to get nine

furlongs. She pulled the perfect trip. (Rajiv) was more confident she could get

the nine furlongs than I was. When they put up the (:47 1/5 half-mile), I was a

little concerned."

"I didn't want to tangle up with the longshot outside of me (Color Me Up),"

Maragh said. "So, I tried to have my filly relax. I didn't want to use her

energy early. I just wanted to get her to the quarter pole with the most energy

as possible. She held up fine.

"This is my first Grade 1 win at Saratoga," he added. "I'm glad it happened

early in the meet. It's good to get your name out there early. It's a great time

to have it with great people -- Rick Mettee, Saeed bin Suroor, and Godolphin."

The 6-5 favorite Miss Isella (Silver Charm) caught Spritely late by a head

for second, and returned $2.50 and $2.20. Spritely yielded $2.70 as the 7-1

third choice. The exacta was worth $10, and the 1-4-5 trifecta was good for $22.

It was another 5 3/4 lengths back to Weathered (Key Contender), followed by

Color Me Up and Luna Vega (Malibu Moon).

Seventh Street was rebounding off a runner-up effort to the now-sidelined

Seattle Smooth (Quiet American) in the Ogden Phipps H. (G1), which was her

Godolphin debut. She began her career with Kiaran McLaughlin, breaking her

maiden in her second try, then adding a pair of allowance/optional claiming

victories to her resume. The four-year-old made her stakes debut next out in the

Barbara Fritchie H. (G2) in February. Appearing to lose all chance when rearing

at the break, she came back in the stretch to finish second. Seventh Street

promptly broke through with her first stakes victory in the Apple Blossom H.

(G1), posting a 5 3/4-length demolition job and earning a promotion to Godolphin.

With this second Grade 1 on her resume, she has now earned $656,000 to go along

with an 8-5-2-1 career mark.

Bred in Kentucky by Steve Barberino, Seventh Street sold for $1 million as a

Fasig-Tipton Calder February two-year-old. She is out of multiple stakes winner

and Grade 2-placed Holiday Runner (Meadowlake), making her a half-sister to last

year's Saratoga Special S. (G2) third Reynaldothewizard (Speightstown) and the

unraced juvenile filly American Story (Ghostzapper).