Lake Avenue proved her impressive graduation last time out was no fluke with a gate-to-wire victory in the GII Demoiselle S. Saturday. Runner-up in her six-furlong unveiling at Belmont Oct. 6, she rebounded with a 12 3/4-length tour de force going seven panels in Ozone Park Nov. 14 and was given a 4-1 chance for this step up in class. Drawn widest in post 12, the chestnut showed good early initiative, making her way to the front just past the first turn. Clocking a half-mile in :50.76 on a clear lead, Lake Avenue turned for home in front and kept on finding in the lane, cruising clear for a decisive victory over Maedean. It was the third win of the day for jockey Junior Alvarado and the second with Bill Mott as the pair teamed up to win the fifth race with Moon Over Miami (Malibu Moon).
“We thought this would be the logical start for her today to see how she would get along going nine furlongs, and then that would give us some indication on where she wants to go next year,” said Mott. “She has a lot of natural speed and if Junior [Alvarado] had held her anymore, I think he would've had to fight with her a little bit. It looked like she relaxed nicely down the backside. She was hawking around through the stretch. She's a little green, but it appeared she had a little more in the tank.”
As for the future, Mott said, “She'll go to Florida from here. We haven't talked to the ownership group yet, but I'd say she'd go to Payson Park and have a working vacation from there. There's no need to stop on her completely. But she'll get a little bit of a break, she's had three races now.”
Saturday, Aqueduct
DEMOISELLE S.-GII, $250,000, Aqueduct, 12-7, 2yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:54.55, ft.
1–LAKE AVENUE, 118, f, 2, by Tapit
1st Dam: Seventh Street (MGISW, $716,000), by Street Cry (Ire)
2nd Dam: Holiday Runner, by Meadowlake
3rd Dam: Dixie Holiday, by Dixieland Band
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN.
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado.
$137,500. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $191,000. *1/2 to
Marking (Bernardini), GISP, $426,200. Werk Nick Rating: First
SW from cross. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Maedean, 120, f, 2, Tapit–Summer Solo, by Arch. ($450,000
Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Courtlandt Farms (Donald & Donna Adam);
B-Payson Stud Inc (KY); T-Mark A. Hennig. $50,000.
3–Blame Debbie, 118, f, 2, Blame–Jadwa, by Invasor (Arg).
($65,000 RNA Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred
Partners, Michael P. Cloonan & Timothy C. Thornton; B-Tim
Thornton & Tony Holmes (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. $30,000.
Margins: 4, NK, HF. Odds: 4.40, 2.90, 10.30.
Also Ran: Critical Value, Water White, Alandra, Glass Ceiling, Daphne Moon, Jara, Miss Marissa. Scratched: I Dare U, Fiftyshays Ofgreen. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Pedigree Notes:
Lake Avenue is the 129th black-type winner and 77th graded winner for her sire Tapit. She is also the 60th graded winner and 31st black-type winner out of a daughter of Street Cry (Ire). The winner's dam Seventh Street, a $100,000 KEESEP yearling turned $1 million FTFFEB juvenile, carried the Godolphin blue to victories in the 2009 GI Apple Blossom H. and GI Go For Wand H. Her second foal was Grade I-placed 'TDN Rising Star' Marking and her recent produce includes a yearling colt by Into Mischief and a weanling colt by Tapit born Apr. 23 of this year. The half-sister to G1SW Reynaldothewizard (Speightstown) was bred back to Bernardini. Seventh Street is also a half-sister to the dam of MGISW American Gal (Concord Point).
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