Concrete Rose made easy work of the inaugural $750,000 Saratoga Oaks Friday, taking the field from gate-to-wire for a dominant score in the second leg of the new Turf Tiara series. Seizing the early advantage, the $61,000 EASMAY buy walked the dog through opening splits of :25.58 and :51.41. Continuing along comfortably with ears pricked, the dark bay readily responded when popped the question by Julien Leparoux in the lane, gliding clear to win for fun. European invader Happen was second.
“They gave me the race in the first part of it,” Leparoux said. “We ran very slow, but she finished very strong. She's a very special filly and I'm very excited to be riding her. I was very confident the whole way around, and I knew she was going to kick home. I'm very happy for the connections, there's a lot of people here that love her.”
“It was a nice year for me to come up with a nice horse,” said winning trainer Rusty Arnold. “We're excited. She's so easy. I'm just on for the ride. I was happy when they hung up a half-mile in :51 and three-quarters in [1:15.93]. She's a fast horse, and they turned it into a sprint home. She had done nothing when they hit the half-mile pole, so we were in a good spot.”
As for future plans, the conditioner said, “She'll get one more 3-year-old race before it's over. We'll see what it's going to be. We feel good. She handled the month turnaround really well. The [GI QEII Challenge Cup Oct. 12 at Keeneland] has always intrigued me a lot. That was the plan at the beginning of the year. However, it is going to be tough not to try to win these three races [of the Turf Tiara] the first year they have it. To win all three, that would be awful special, so there will be a lot of talking going on.”
The final leg of the Triple Tiara is the $750,000 Jockey Club Oaks at Belmont Sept. 7.
A debut winner at the Spa some 50 weeks ago, Concrete Rose followed suit with a decisive score in Keeneland's GII Jessamine S. when stretching out to turns for the first time last October. Eighth behind a sensational performance from Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Nov. 2, she kicked off her sophomore season with a win in Tampa's GIII Florida Oaks Mar. 9. Following suit with a 3 3/4-length defeat of Newspaperofrecord in the GIII Edgewood S. at Churchill Downs May 3, the dark bay took her 2019 record to three-for-three with a decisive score in the GI Belmont Oaks July 6, the first leg of NYRA's new Turf Tiara series.
Bought back for $19,000 at the 2016 KEENOV sale, Concrete Rose brought $20,000 at Keeneland September 10 months later. Led from the ring unsold at last term's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale, she was purchased privately post-sale for $61,000.
SARATOGA OAKS INVITATIONAL S., $695,000, Saratoga, 8-2, 3yo, f, 1 3/16mT, 1:55.34, fm.
1–CONCRETE ROSE, 121, f, 3, by Twirling Candy
1st Dam: Solerina, by Powerscourt (GB)
2nd Dam: Sky Blue Girl (GB), by Sabrehill
3rd Dam: Nemea, by The Minstrel
($19,000 RNA Wlg '16 KEENOV; $20,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP;
$61,000 2yo '18 EASMAY). O-Ashbrook Farm & BBN Racing,
LLC; B-Ron Patterson (KY); T-George R. Arnold, II; J-Julien R.
Leparoux. $400,000. Lifetime Record: GISW, 7-6-0-0,
$1,218,650.
2–Happen, 121, f, 3, War Front–Alexandrova (Ire), by Sadler's
Wells. O-Michael B. Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier & Derrick Smith;
B-Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt (KY); T-Aidan P. O'Brien.
$140,000.
3–Kelsey's Cross, 121, f, 3, Anthony's Cross–Amy's Allie, by
Trippi. O-Bacon Barn & Patrick L. Biancone; B-T. Wynn & Mary
Jolley (FL); T-Patrick L. Biancone. $75,000.
Margins: 4 3/4, NO, HD. Odds: 0.30, 6.00, 21.50.
Also Ran: Coral Beach (Ire), Olendon (Fr). Scratched: Her Royal Highness.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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