Coffeepot Stables homebred Farrell (Malibu Moon) put on a show at the Fair Grounds Saturday with a dominant gate-to-wire victory in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Seizing the early advantage, the bay clicked off opening splits of :23.92 and :47.32 while well clear of the rest of the field. Her rivals began to close in on her as she clocked three-quarters in 1:12.22, but Farrell still had plenty left in the tank and easily rolled clear in the lane to stamp herself as a major GI Kentucky Oaks contender with a 3 1/2-length victory. Longshot Majestic Quality (Quality Road) got up for second and heavily-favored Valadorna (Curlin) checked in third.
“The way she's running she should be one of the top choices [in the Kentucky Oaks], but there are a few more races to go,” winning trainer Wayne Catalano said. “She was moving pretty good and I was happy when [Channing Hill] said that she settled for him on the backside. Speed is always dangerous and pace makes the races and today was our race.”
“She's really versatile, so I just let her have her way,” Hill said. “She did everything so well and settled really well on the backside, doing it all on her own. Down the lane I got after her a little bit and she went on with it and did it professionally. This filly is the real deal.”
As for the beaten favorite Valdorna, trainer Mark Casse said, “I thought we had a good trip and thought she ran well. She just flattened out late and got beat by a good horse.”
Fourth to Lovely Bernadette (Wilburn) on debut over a muddy strip at Churchill Downs Sept. 17, Farrell donned cap and gown by five lengths next out beneath the Twin Spires Oct. 1 and checked in third behind Lovely Bernadette in that venue's Rags to Riches S. 29 days later. Returning to winning ways with a six-length tour de force in the GII Golden Rod S. in Louisville Nov. 26, the dark bay kicked off her sophomore campaign with a 2 3/4-length defeat of the reopposing Wicked Lick (Maclean's Music) and Gris Gris (Spring at Last) in a muddy renewal of the Silverbulletday S. at Fair Grounds Jan. 21.
Pedigree Notes:
Out of SW and GSP Rebridled Dreams, Farrell is a half-sister to dual Grade I winner, “TDN Rising Star” and now WinStar stallion Carpe Diem (Giant's Causeway), who was the co-topper at the 2014 OBS March sale after selling to Stonestreet Stables for $1.6 million. The winner is also a half-sister to GISW J.B.'s Thunder (Thunder Gulch) and MSW and MGSP Doncaster Rover (War Chant); and GSP Semper Fortis (Distorted Humor). Rebridled Dreams has a juvenile colt by Speightstown and a yearling filly by Giant's Causeway. The 17-year-old mare was not re-bred after foaling that filly May 5.
Saturday, Fair Grounds
RACHEL ALEXANDRA S.-GII, $196,000, FG, 2-25, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:44.09, ft.
1–FARRELL, 122, f, 3, by Malibu Moon
1st Dam: Rebridled Dreams (SW & GSP, $134,663), by Unbridled's Song
2nd Dam: Key Cents, by Corridor Key
3rd Dam: Centimeter, by Aloma's Ruler
O-Coffeepot Stables; B-Coffee Pot Stable (KY); T-Wayne M.
Catalano; J-Channing Hill. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 6-4-0-1,
$361,357. *1/2 to Doncaster Rover (War Chant), MSW &
MGSP-Eng, $335,741; J. B.'s Thunder (Thunder Gulch), GISW,
$280,130; Carpe Diem (Giant's Causeway), MGISW,
$1,519,800; Semper Fortis (Distorted Humor), GSP, $429,405.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.[bullet ad=”beau-lane-woodline-coffee-pot-stables”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Majestic Quality, 118, f, 3, Quality Road–She Nuit All, by Lost
Soldier. ($40,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Big Chief Racing, LLC,
Rocker O Ranch, LLC & J. Keith Desormeaux; B-C. Kidder & N.
Cole (KY); T-J. Keith Desormeaux. $40,000.[bullet ad=”gainesway-consigned-by”]3–Valadorna, 116, f, 3, Curlin–Goldfield, by Yes It's True.
'TDN Rising Star' O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. $20,000.[bullet ad=”stonestreet-bredraised”]Margins: 3HF, NK, 2. Odds: 3.80, 23.80, 1.50.
Also Ran: Wicked Lick, Shane's Girlfriend, Untapped, Gris Gris.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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