China Horse Club International and Clearsky Farms' Abel Tasman (Quality Road) made a name for herself with a triad of Grade I scores rallying from well off the pace, but proved her versatility Sunday, making an early move down the backstretch and digging in grittily to hold off 'TDN Rising Star' Elate (Medaglia d'Oro) by a nose in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks. The pair matched strides in a thrilling stretch run, with Abel Tasman and Mike Smith making it tight on rail-skimming Elate. Following a stewards inquiry and an objection by Elate's jockey Jose Ortiz, no action was taken and Abel Tasman was crowned the winner.
“There was so much happening–[the race] had its highs and lows [and] it was dramatic,” said Bob Baffert's head assistant Jimmy Barnes, who was in town to saddle the winner. “Down the stretch, maybe she needed to get into a fight again, so he just let her come on over to [Elate], but he never really hit her or bumped her at all. Just race riding, that's what it looked like to me.”
Away from the gate without much early speed, Abel Tasman settled in sixth behind an opening quarter-mile in :23.81, but was allowed to make a sweeping early bid for the lead soon after, with Smith presumably sensing that the pace had slowed. His judgement was correct, and Abel Tasman found herself just in front of Summer Luck through a :48.83 half. Bracing for a challenge from Elate turning for home, she came in some two paths to pin that rival in a tight spot on the rail and dug in determinedly to claim the victory. Salty (Quality Road) departed the gate several lengths slowly and rallied belatedly to complete the trifecta.
“My filly really waits,” Smith said. “Once she was in there, she was engaged. I made sure that I didn't touch [Jose Ortiz]. I made it tight, but there's no rules that say you can't make it tight. They make it tight on me all the time and I'm too old for that. It's a questionable move that I would have questioned myself if I got beat. But I didn't, so I liked it.”
Winner of the GI Starlet S. at two, the bay kicked off her 2017 season with a pair of runner-up finishes behind 'TDN Rising Star' Unique Bella (Tapit) in the Mar. 4 GIII Santa Ysabel S. for Simon Callaghan and in the wake of 'Rising Star' Paradise Woods (Union Rags) the GI Santa Anita Oaks–her first start after being transferred to the care of Baffert. The sophomore truly began to thrive in her first venture outside California, rallying from last of 14 to win the GI Kentucky Oaks over a sloppy Churchill Downs strip May 5 and following that performance with a similarly powerful last-to-first success in the GI Acorn S. at Belmont June 10. In total, she has won six times from nine starts.
“Abel is a phenomenal filly,” said Barnes. “It's her third Grade I in a row. We're blessed to have her. She's come through each and every time. She's had to travel three times now and that says a lot for her. To pick up from your home track, go to Churchill, go to Belmont with the big sandy track and then come here on opening weekend, it's very exciting for us.”
The win was a welcome development for the pair of Baffert and Smith, who endured a puzzling fourth-place finish in Del Mar's GII San Diego H. with champion and 1-9 favorite Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) some 21 hours earlier.
“It's funny how things will turn around,” Smith said. “We went from yesterday being a total shock–we don't know, we're just going to draw a line through it–but to come back…that's what is great about this sport. It's an emotional roller-coaster. It felt like it was a 15-hour flight [to get from California to Saratoga], but man, it's going to be sweet going home.”
Pedigree Notes:
Abel Tasman's dam Vargas Girl was purchased for $130,000 at the 2010 Keeneland January Sale carrying her third foal by Sky Mesa, who turned out to be GIII Dogwood S. winner Sky Girl. Three years later, Vargas Girl produced another Sky Mesa filly in Moonlight Sky, who sold for $240,000 to Triton Stables at last year's Keeneland November Sale and recently captured a June 4 allowance event at Woodbine. Vargas Girl is a half-sister to GISW Bevo (Prospectors Gamble) and GSW Moonlight Sonata (Carson City), herself the dam of GSWs Wilburn (Bernardini) and Beethoven (Sky Mesa), as well as SW La Appassionata (Bernardini). Abel Tasman is her dam's most recent produce.
Sunday, Saratoga Race Course
COACHING CLUB AMERICAN OAKS-GI, $300,000, SAR, 7-23, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:51.74, ft.
1–ABEL TASMAN, 121, f, 3, by Quality Road
1st Dam: Vargas Girl, by Deputy Minister
2nd Dam: Wheatly Way, by Wheatly Hall
3rd Dam: Family Way, by Cyane
($65,000 RNA Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-China Horse Club
International Ltd. & Clearsky Farms; B-Clearsky Farms (KY);
T-Bob Baffert; J-Mike E. Smith. $180,000. Lifetime Record:
9-6-2-0, $1,467,060. *1/2 to Sky Girl (Sky Mesa), GSW,
$172,191. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A+.[bullet ad=”webb-carroll-another-wctc-grad”][bullet ad=”performancegenetics-elitecardioselection”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″]2–Elate, 121, f, 3, Medaglia d'Oro–Cheery, by Distorted Humor.
'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Claiborne Farm & Adele B. Dilschneider
(KY); T-William I. Mott. $60,000.
3–Salty, 121, f, 3, Quality Road–Theycallmeladyluck, by Dixie
Union. O-Gary Barber, Baccari Racing Stable LLC & Chester
Prince; B-Seclusive Farm LLC & Prince Farm, LLC (KY); T-Mark E.
Casse. $30,000.[bullet ad=”blackwood-graduate-2″][bullet ad=”baccari-bloodstock-bred-raised”]Margins: HD, 3 1/4, 7. Odds: 0.80, 5.00, 2.60.
Also Ran: Berned, Daddys Lil Darling, Summer Luck, Corporate Queen.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
