Lights Off Annie took the 2010 renewal of this event for Mike Repole by 5 1/2 lengths in her final start, and her daughter followed suit Friday afternoon to up her career record to five for six. Exiting a first-up third in the GIII Distaff H. at Aqueduct Apr. 9 behind last weekend's GII Ruffian S. winner Highway Star (Girolamo), the 7-5 favorite broke running from the outside gate and was content to lay second as 5-2 Chanteline (Majesticperfection) splashed along on the lead. Niggled at to pick up at the quarter pole, the homebred pushed past at the furlong grounds and came away to take it with room to spare.
“It was perfect,” said Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who will get a leg up on Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) from Todd Pletcher before the GI Preakness S. Saturday. “She got a good position sitting right off the speed and she accelerated very well. It was her first time on a wet track and she loved it.”
Clipthecouponannie kicked off her career with four trips to the winner's circle, including after Aqueduct's restricted Franklin Square S. last February and Gulfstream optional claimer off the long lay-off at Gulfstream Dec. 16.
“I was a little concerned when it rained, only because she had never run on an off track,” Pletcher noted. “But we felt that with her pedigree she would handle it. Uncle Mo won the Kelso impressively in slop.
“I talked to Johnny before and we liked the fact that we drew a favorable post for these type of conditions. She's been a good filly away from the gate. We wanted to get her away alertly and put her in a favorable position. She did that very well and I could tell that Johnny was riding her very confidently. It looked like when he asked her that she responded the way we hoped she would.”
Lights off Annie has an unraced 2-year-old colt by Overanalyze. She produced a full-sister to the winner last year and was bred back to her owner's champion juvenile after that. Repole's Lost Raven (Uncle Mo) won the GIII Miss Preakness S. on this program 12 months ago.
SKIPAT S., $100,000, PIM, 5-19, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.93, sy.
1–CLIPTHECOUPONANNIE, 118, f, 4, Uncle Mo–Lights Off
Annie (MSW, $209,671), by Freud. O/B-Repole Stables LLC
(NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-John R. Velazquez. $60,000.
Lifetime Record: 6-5-0-1, $240,000.
2–Summer Reading, 118, f, 4, Hard Spun–Paradise Playgirl, by
Speightstown. ($150,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP). O-Joseph V. Shields,
Jr.; B-Pollock Farms (KY); T-James A. Jerkens. $20,000.
3–Sweet On Smokey, 118, m, 5, Successful Appeal–Clochard,
by Devil's Bag. ($20,000 2yo '14 OBSAPR). O-BB Horses; B-Tom
McCrocklin & Frank Mermenstein (KY); T-Claudio A. Gonzalez.
$10,000.
Margins: 1HF, HF, 2 1/4. Odds: 1.40, 4.60, 11.50.
Also Ran: Chanteline, Lovable Lady, Stormy Sky, Disco Chick. Scratched: Absatootly, Pleasant Tales.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
