Chief Wallabee
Chief Wallabee | Ryan Thompson
Chief WallabeeA very live 5-2 chance from a 9-2 morning line, Mike and Katherine Ball homebred Chief Wallabee (c, 3, Constitution–A La Lucie, by Medaglia d'Oro) traveled into the race strongly approaching the stretch and pounced on favored The Puma (Essential Quality) with just under a furlong to travel and proved a very impressive winner of what appeared to be a very hot Gulfstream maiden Saturday afternoon...
A very live 5-2 chance from a 9-2 morning line, Mike and Katherine Ball homebred Chief Wallabee (c, 3, Constitution–A La Lucie, by Medaglia d'Oro) traveled into the race strongly approaching the stretch and pounced on favored The Puma (Essential Quality) with just under a furlong to travel and proved a very impressive winner of what appeared to be a very hot Gulfstream maiden Saturday afternoon. The effort makes him the newest 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard.
Having hinted at considerable ability in his morning trials, including a bullet half-mile over the testing surface at Payson Park in :48 1/5 (1/48) Jan. 4, Chief Wallabee settled in about fifth position through the opening exchanges of the seven-furlong contest as a four-way battle for the lead ensued on the pointy end.
The Puma, off to an awkward beginning from gate five–one to the inside of Chief Wallabee–was hustled up into contention by Javier Castellano for the Mage connections, but as a result of the slow start, he had no choice but to go wide and took the worst of it four deep around the turn. In the meantime, Chief Wallabee was following the move of Nanosecond (Into Mischief) on the swing for home and had first crack at The Puma, who was handled with supreme confidence. In front approaching the eighth pole, The Puma was ultimately no match for Chief Wallabee, who descended on the leader quickly beneath Junior Alvarado with 150 yards to race and was taken in hand under the wire, scoring by 1 1/2 lengths.
“I'm most pleased how he [Chief Wallabee] behaved in the paddock and the way he was with the pre-race stuff,” said trainer Bill Mott. “He was very professional afterwards. It's didn't look like there was any nonsense. He's a good-feeling horse in the morning, but he did everything right here in the afternoon.”
Chief Wallabee is the first starter for his dam, a $1.1-million Keeneland Septmber yearling in 2019 and ostensibly named in honor of the former acclaimed eatery on Limestone Street in downtown Lexington. A daughter of GIII L.A. Woman Stakes heroine Gloryzapper–whose full-sister Superstition was a two-time stakes winner and twice graded-placed on the Southern California circuit, A La Lucie is also the dam of a 2-year-old filly by Not This Time and she is due to Life Is Good this season.
Chief Wallabee is the second 'Rising Star' in three days and 14th overall for former 'Rising Star' Constitution, whose 3-year-old son Touch of Fire won his maiden by seven convincing lengths (81 Beyer) over the Fair Grounds turf course on Thursday.
