Tequilita captures Charles Town Oaks, Chanel’s Legacy vanned off

Dorothy A. Matz’s homebred Tequilita took an injury-marred running of the $300,000 Charles Town Oaks (G3) Saturday night with jockey Luis Saez aboard.

Chanel’s Legacy, breaking from the middle of the gate, was slammed hard between Tequilita to her inside and R Angel Katelyn to her outside. As the rest of the field pulled away, jockey Jose Montano quickly pulled up on the gray miss, who refused to put any weight on her rear right leg. The Poindexter Thoroughbreds homebred was vanned off as the race continued on without her.

Up front, Astrollinthepark set the opening quarter of :22.84 while running inside of R Angel Katelyn and Downtown Mama. Yorkiepoo Princess was just behind in fourth, with Tequilita keeping pace to her inside.

Yorkiepoo Princess made a sudden mid-race move to wrest control away from Astrollinthepark through a half-mile in :46.65, but was in turn herself deposed when Tequilita came running to her outside. The Michael Matz trainee easily grabbed command entering the lane and pulled off to a 1 1/4-lengh victory while finishing seven furlongs over the fast dirt at Charles Town in 1:26.01.

It was a three-horse photo for second, with Yorkiepoo Princess holding Overture by a head while Berned finished a nose back in fourth. Another 6 1/2 lengths behind came Astrollinthepark, who was followed home by 6-5 favorite Shimmering Aspen, Munny Spunt, R Angel Katelyn and Downtown Mama.

Tequilita earned her first win since taking the Forward Gal Stakes (G1) in February at Gulfstream Park in this spot. She broke her maiden in her fourth try last October at Keeneland and closed out her juvenile campaign capturing her stakes bow in the Smart Halo Stakes at Laurel Park on November 19.

The bay daughter of Union Rags made her sophomore debut in the Forward Gal, and followed that win with a runner-up effort in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), seventh in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and third-placing in the Test Stakes (G1). Tequilita entered the Charles Town Oaks off that latter contest and now boasts a 10-4-3-1, $523,140, career record.

Bred in Kentucky, the filly is out of the Grade 2-winning Mr. Greeley mare Sangrita, who is a half-sister to Grade 1-scoring successful sire Offlee Wild. Tequilita’s third dam is Grade 1 queen Andover Way, who produced leading sire Dynaformer.