By Alan Carasso
Carrying the silks of the famed Lazy F Ranch, Gam's Mission (Noble Mission {GB}) rallied through the final eighth of a mile to take out Saturday's GIII Regret S. at Churchill, giving trainer Cherie DeVaux her first stakes winner since going out on her own.
Bumped soundly at the break by her inside rival Postnup (Declaration of War), the homebred settled slightly worse than mid-division from fifth, as favored Spanish Loveaffair (Karakontie {Jpn}) argued a moderate pace from the fence inside of Postnup, who raced in the two path. Ground-saving around the clubhouse turn, Gam's Mission switched off nicely through the middle stages and traveled three deep down the back of the track in the slipstream of the bald-faced Flown (Kitten's Joy). Urged along three furlongs out, Gam's Mission continued to follow Flown into the stretch, was switched off heels and grabbed a game Spanish Loveaffair in the final 50 yards en route to the victory. Flown held for third ahead of Oyster Box (Tapit), who ran a deceptively good race to be fourth after trailing those soft fractions.
“I'm very pleased with her effort today,” DeVaux, a long-time assistant to Chad Brown, said. “[Jockey] Adam [Beschizza] had her in a really good position throughout. She was a little green coming up the stretch, but she's lightly raced and still figuring it out. The Triple Tiara (in New York) is definitely on the table; it would be great to go compete in that.”
Second behind a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy maiden-breaker from future GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf winner Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) over this course last September, Gam's Mission came from last to graduate at the Fair Grounds Mar. 21 and was exiting a neck defeat of Flown in a first-level allowance over 8 1/2 furlongs of this turf course May 8.
Pedigree Notes:
Gam's Mission is the fourth graded and black-type winner for her expatriated stallion and is his second stakes-winning 3-year-old filly of 2021, joining GII Appalachian S. heroine and 'TDN Rising Star' Jouster.
The February foal is one of two winners from as many to the races for her dam, a winning daughter of Lazy F Ranch's outstanding turf distaffer Auntie Mame, winner of the GI Flower Bowl Invitational H. and runner-up in the GI QE II Challenge Cup, a race that would certainly be on the radar for Gam's Mission. Auntie Mame's year-older half-sister was Star de Lady Ann (Star de Naskra), who upset Yanks Music (Air Forbes Won) in the 1996 GI Acorn S. at Belmont Park.
Auntie Martha sold for $11,000 in foal to Tonalist at the 2018 Keeneland November sale and produced a colt now named Tricky Lee, who is in training at Emerald Downs. The dam of a yearling filly by Cat Burglar, Auntie Martha foaled a colt by Dads Caps this season.
Saturday, Churchill Downs
REGRET S.-GIII, $150,000, Churchill Downs, 5-29, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:51.02, gd.
1–GAM'S MISSION, 118, f, 3, by Noble Mission (GB)
1st Dam: Auntie Martha, by War Pass
2nd Dam: Auntie Mame, by Theatrical (Ire)
3rd Dam: Lady Vixen, by Sir Ivor
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Lazy F
Ranch (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux; J-Adam Beschizza. $90,210.
Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0, $201,258. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Spanish Loveaffair, 118, f, 3, Karakontie (Jpn)–Spanish
Bunny, by Unusual Heat. ($35,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Eclipse
Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Hernon & Gary Barber;
B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd (KY); T-Mark Casse. $29,100.
3–Flown, 118, f, 3, Kitten's Joy–Rumbaua, by Bernstein.
($90,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP; $90,000 2yo '20 OBSAPR). O-Marc
Detampel; B-John R Cummins, Kenneth L & Sarah K Ramsey
(KY); T-Brendan P Walsh. $14,550.
Margins: 3/4, HD, 3/4. Odds: 6.10, 1.40, 5.20.
Also Ran: Oyster Box, Barista, Munnyfor Ro, Line Dancing, Postnup. Scratched: Saranya. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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