Always Shopping broke her maiden and earned her first black-type rosette in the Busanda S. at Aqueduct Sunday. The shortest price on the board, the Pletcher-trained runner tucked in behind horses and sat fifth against the fence as Filly Joel set uncontested fractions of :23.91 and :48.52. Making her bid for the lead after three-quarters in 1:13.34, she tipped out in upper stretch and edged past a stubborn Filly Joel for the victory, earning 10 points toward a start in the GI Kentucky Oaks, May 3. Fifth debuting at the Spa in late July, the Repole Stable homebred ran a distant second to Filly Joel downstate at Belmont upped to 1 1/16 miles Oct. 25 and was second again cut back to a mile locally to the reopposing Miss Marilyn (Bellamy Road) Dec. 14.
“We were cautiously optimistic about this spot,” said Byron Hughes, assistant to winning trainer Todd Pletcher. “We were always looking to stretch her out and get her to race at two turns. Manny [Franco] did a great job saving ground and tilted her out down the stretch. She's the grinding type and kind of grinded out the win. At this point, we'll see how she comes out of this race and go from there.”
The 66th black-type winner for her sire, the Adena Springs veteran Awesome Again (Deputy Minister), Always Shopping is a half-sister to SW and GIII Delaware Oaks third Mo Shopping (Uncle Mo). GI Frizette S. bridesmaid Stopshoppingmaria foaled full-sisters to Mo Shopping in 2017 and 2018. She was covered by Medaglia d'Oro in 2018. This is the extended family of Canadian champion grass horse, GISW and Grade I sire Perfect Soul (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). Click for the Equineline.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
BUSANDA S., $101,000, Aqueduct, 2-3, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:52.24, ft.
1–ALWAYS SHOPPING, 118, f, 3, by Awesome Again
1st Dam: Stopshoppingmaria (SW & GISP, $394,631),
by More Than Ready
2nd Dam: Skybox, by Spend a Buck
3rd Dam: A Status Symbol, by Exclusive Native
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Repole Stable Inc (KY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher; J-Manuel Franco. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 4-1-2-0,
$87,000. *1/2 to Mo Shopping (Uncle Mo), SW & GSP,
$131,250.
2–Filly Joel, 118, f, 3, Dialed In–Sally's Song, by Unbridled's
Song. O/B-Arindel (FL); T-Rudy R. Rodriguez. $21,000.
3–Afleet Destiny, 118, f, 3, Hard Spun–Afleet Lover, by
Northern Afleet. ($35,000 2yo '18 EASMAY). O/T-Uriah St.
Lewis; B-Wynnstay LLC & H.Allen Poindexter (KY). $12,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 5HF, 4. Odds: 2.15, 2.35, 4.90.
Also Ran: Miss Marilyn, Discreet Sister, Lady Banba, Getting Warmer, Floss Dancer, Destiny Over Fate. Scratched: Elegant Zip, No Mo Lady.
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