Journey Home, sent off at 7-1 on the back of a neck win going 1 1/16 miles over the Laurel sod Nov. 4, maintained her unbeaten record with a first black-type win in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. at Del Mar Saturday. Trailing in last as Defiant Honor showed the way through an opening quarter in :23.75 while pressed by With Honors, the Sam-Son colorbearer avoided the majority of the traffic issues the rest of the field encountered on the first turn due to objects blown onto the course. Journey Home angled in between horses through a half-mile in :48.68 and began to pick off rivals midway on the far turn. Still traveling nicely, she fanned four deep in upper stretch and forged past a stubborn Defiant Honor, who had held off a persistent With Honors for the stretch drive to prevail. Miss Sugars (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) rounded out the superfecta. Despite objects on the track causing several horses to alter course and check going into the first turn, the results were allowed to stand after the stewards conducted an inquiry.
“Man, I had a lot of horse today,” commented winning pilot Drayden Van Dyke. “Way more horse than I could use. She was just full of run. I really couldn't ride her the way I wanted to because of the rain and wind [the track was hit by a squall at race time], but she took care of things anyway. She's a good one.”
Added Alice Clapham, assistant to winning trainer Graham Motion, “I thought Drayden rode a good race. He let her settle into the race and get her feet underneath her, waited to the top end and then she came home nicely. Everybody's always liked her, but sometimes with 2-year-olds you have to wait until they're ready and the [winning debut] race at Laurel proved she was.”
Pedigree Notes:
Out of the high-class Soul Search (A.P. Indy), who was second in the GI Juddmonte Spinster S. at Keeneland and third in Saratoga's GI Personal Ensign S., Journey Home is a rare Sam-Son Farm purchase. Her second dam is a full-sister to Pleasant Stage (Pleasant Colony), who landed the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies en route to champion 2-year-old filly honors, as well as MGSWs Stage Colony (Pleasant Colony) and Colonial Play (Pleasant Colony). The last named is the dam of MGISW Marsh Side (Gone West). Soul Search has a yearling colt by Smart Strike and a filly of this year by Quality Road.
Saturday, Del Mar
JIMMY DURANTE S.-GIII, $102,760, DMR, 11-26, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:38.24, fm.
1–#@JOURNEY HOME, 120, f, 2, by War Front
1st Dam: Soul Search (MGISP, $339,325), by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Solar Colony, by Pleasant Colony
3rd Dam: Meteor Stage, by Stage Door Johnny
($200,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Sam-Son Farm; B-W. S. Farish &
Kilroy Throughbred Partnership (KY); T-H. Graham Motion;
J-Drayden Van Dyke. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0,
$82,800. Click for eNick report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A++.[bullet ad=”lanes-end-foaledraisedsold”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]
2–Defiant Honor, 120, f, 2, Speightstown–Honor Bestowed, by
Honor Grades. O-Phillips Racing Partnership & Pam Gartin;
B-John W. Phillips, Hank & Lynn Snowden (KY); T-James J.
Toner. $20,000.[bullet ad=”kirkwood-shell”]
3–With Honors, 124, f, 2, War Front–All Her Class, by Street Cry
(Ire). O/B-LNJ Foxwoods (KY); T-J. Keith Desormeaux. $12,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, NK, 1HF. Odds: 7.90, 2.60, 2.10.
Also Ran: Miss Sugars (GB), Simmy's Temple (GB), Bella Luma, Happy Mesa, Tiburtina (Ire), Mo'vette, How About Zero, Noble Dancer (Ire), La Force (Ger), Partyinthepaddock.
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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