One of just a handful of the entrants for Friday's GII Black-Eyed Susan S. with previous form over an off track, Red Ruby (Tiznow) sat a perfect stalking trip outside pacesetting Coach Rocks (Oxbow) collared that one at will once heads were turned for home and scampered away by 4 3/4 widening lengths at a very sloppy Old Hilltop. Indy Union (Union Rags) ran home to be third, well clear of favored GII Gazelle S. runner-up Sara Street (Street Sense–Sara Louise).
The complexion of the Black-Eyed Susan changed in a material way at the start when expected pace influence Goodonehoney (Great Notion), who defeated Indy Union by seven lengths in Laurel's Weber City Miss S. Apr. 21, missed the kick and dropped out to race last but one, leaving GII Gulfstream Park Oaks winner and GI Kentucky Oaks seventh Coach Rocks to set a decent tempo in advance of Red Ruby with Sara Street in close attendance while trapped deepest on the track. Coach Rocks galloped them along through splits of :23.28 and :47.95 into the second turn, but Red Ruby was always traveling on the bridle and she put the pacesetter to the sword with “a quarter to go at Pimico.” Well clear of Coach Rocks when shifting in at the furlong marker, Red Ruby was straightened away by Paco Lopez and proved a much-the-best winner.
A debut second over a mile at Churchill last Oct. 29 with three next-out winners behind her, Red Ruby graduated around two turns Nov. 25 and was given time off. She handled a sloppy Oaklawn strip with aplomb in winning the Feb. 10 Martha Washington S. by 2 1/2 lengths, but she couldn't repeat the dose last time and settled for a fourth-place effort as the 9-10 favorite in the GIII Honeybee S. Mar. 10.
“We knew she liked the off going,” said trainer Kellyn Gorder, winning his first graded stakes since General Election (Harlan's Holiday) in the 2013 GIII Jefferson Cup S. “She broke really well. [Jockey] Paco [Lopez] had her really relaxed out there on the outside. When he started looking around where everyone else was, I was confident. I've had good luck with Paco and he's kind of got that style that would fit her. He takes that long hold and just raises his hands up their neck and I figured she might like that.”
Pedigree Notes:
Red Ruby is the 41st individual graded stakes winner for her sire and is one of four stakes winners for her unplaced dam, a half-sister to the good New York-bred sprinter Kashatreya (Daring Groom). Red Ruby's third dam Kshesinskaya was responsible for two-time GSW Lady At Peace (Lord At War {Arg}). Red Ruby's year-younger half-sister Tobago (Pioneerof the Nile), a May 17 foal and a $425,000 purchase by Cromwell Bloodstock at last year's Keeneland September sale, breezed three-eighths of a mile in :37.20 Friday morning at Fair Hill. Caroni missed to Uncle Mo for 2017 and was most recently covered by Honor Code. Beloved co-breeder Hargus Sexton passed away last June at the age of 96.
Saturday, Pimlico
BLACK-EYED SUSAN S.-GII, $250,000, Pimlico, 5-18, 3yo, f,
1 1/8m, 1:50.17, sy.
1–RED RUBY, 118, f, 3, by Tiznow
1st Dam: Caroni, by Rubiano
2nd Dam: Douce Carotte, by Caro (Ire)
3rd Dam: Kshesinskaya, by Nijinsky II
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Sandra Sexton & Steven &
Brandi Nicholson; B-Hargus & Sandra Sexton & Silver Fern
Farm, LLC (KY); T-Kellyn Gorder; J-Paco Lopez. $150,000.
Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $283,000. *1/2 to Beautician
(Dehere), SW & MGISP, $636,175; Bella Castani (Big Brown),
SW, $128,225; and Mo Tom (Uncle Mo), GSW, $665,356. Werk
Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”winaward-40k”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]2–Coach Rocks, 120, f, 3, Oxbow–Mexican Moonlight, by El
Prado (Ire). ($125,000 Ylg '16 FTSAUG; $95,000 2yo '17
FTFMAR). O-Roddy J. Valente, RAP Racing and West Point
Thoroughbreds; B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Dale L. Romans.
$50,000.[bullet ad=”eaton-sold”]3–Indy Union, 116, f, 3, Union Rags–Fapindy, by A.P. Indy.
($50,000 Ylg '16 KEEJAN). O-Robert G. Hahn; B-Mt. Joy Stables,
Inc. & Highclere, Inc (KY); T-Jeremiah C. Englehart. $25,000.[bullet ad=”purchased-by-vinery”][bullet ad=”webb-carroll-another-wctc-grad”]Margins: 4 3/4, 5, 4 3/4. Odds: 2.90, 3.00, 11.60.
Also Ran: Sara Street, Goodonehoney, Stakes On a Plane, Tell Your Mama, Mihrab, C. S. Incharge. Scratched: Midnight Disguise. 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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