Shamrock Rose Goes Last to First in F/M Sprint

Shamrock Rose (First Dude), a late $130,000 Breeders' Cup supplement by Conrad Farms, unleashed a powerful, last-to-first stretch rally to reel in Chalon (Dialed In) in dramatic fashion by a head in the Filly & Mare Sprint.

The 25-1 chance trailed the field as comebacking 'TDN Rising Star Selcourt (Tiz Wonderful) blazed the way through fractions of :21.89 and :44.99. Still with plenty left to do at the top of the stretch, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and Shamrock Rose began to knife their way through traffic and just got up in the final jump to pull off the upset.

It was another neck back to 'TDN Rising Star' Anonymity (Tapit) in third. Heavily favored Marley's Freedom (Blame), off at odds of 4-5, came running late, but couldn't overcome a wide trip from her 13 draw and had to settle for a very close fourth.

“Was I surprised we won? It was a tough race, but she's a good horse,” said trainer Mark Casse after saddling his fifth career Breeders' Cup winner. “I told Irad I don't know if she's good enough, but she'll give you everything she has. And, she's good. It goes back to Allen Jerkens who always said 'Run them when they're good,' so we came back in two weeks.”

Casse continued, “I was a little concerned she was dropped back as far, but one thing about it, we have one of the best riders in the world on her and he made a decision, which, after about an eighth of a mile, made us win the race.”

Shamrock Rose entered riding a three-race winning streak, capturing Presque Isle's Malvern Rose S. versus state-breds Aug. 5 and Woodbine's La Lorgnette S. Sept. 8, both over synthetic, and Keeneland's GII Lexus Raven Run S. at this distance last time Oct. 20.

Shamrock Rose is the first 3-year-old to defeat her elders in this race, which was inaugurated in 2007. This was the bay's first attempt versus older horses.

Winning owner Manfred Conrad is the president, CEO, and founder of the Cora Group Inc., one of Canada's Waterloo Region's largest commercial real estate development companies. Conrad has also campaigned unplaced GI Kentucky Derby starter State of Honor (To Honor and Serve), runner-up in the 2017 GI Xpressbet Florida Derby.

“Well, it's never easy to write a check like this unless you have a lot of money, but neither here nor there, we had faith in the horse and naturally I listened to Mark and she's been doing so great the last four races and why not have the fun and the excitement and come here,” Conrad said of supplementing his charge to the Breeders' Cup. “So if it you lose, you lose. I mean it's horse racing. That's what it is. And I really believe the horse is not done yet, in my opinion. She's just a great horse.”

Pedigree Notes:

Shamrock Rose, a $120,000 OBS April juvenile, became the first Grade I winner for First Dude in the F/M Sprint. Shamrock Rose is out of the unraced Elusive Quality mare Slew's Quality, a $35,000 KEENOV purchase in 2007 by Best A Luck Farm and a half-sister to French MGSW Slew the Red (Red Ransom). The 14-year-old mare is also responsible for the unraced juvenile colt Quality Pitch (Bandbox) and a yearling colt by Stay Thirsty. She was bred back to Hard Spun earlier this term. Shamrock Rose, who became the fourth graded stakes winner for her sire First Dude in Raven Run, hails from the family of Hall of Famer Lady's Secret (Secretariat) and South African champion Mahbooba (Aus) (Galileo {Ire}).

Saturday, Churchill Downs
BREEDERS' CUP FILLY AND MARE SPRINT-GI, $920,000, Churchill Downs, 11-3, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:23.13, ft.
1–SHAMROCK ROSE, 122, f, 3, by First Dude&log=">First Dude
1st Dam: Slew's Quality, by Elusive Quality
2nd Dam: Great Lady Slew, by Seattle Slew
3rd Dam: Great Lady Sharon, by Alydar
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($120,000 2yo '17 OBSAPR). O-Conrad
Farms; B-Best A Luck Farm LLC (PA); T-Mark E. Casse; J-Irad
Ortiz, Jr. $550,000. Lifetime Record: 10-5-2-1, $917,687.
Werk Nick Rating: B+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Chalon, 124, f, 4, by Dialed In
1st Dam: Fall Fantasy, by Menifee
2nd Dam: Maple Creek, by Forty Niner
3rd Dam: Miss Betty, by Buckpasser
($32,000 Ylg '15 FTKOCT; $110,000 2yo '16 BARMAR;
$550,000 3yo '17 FTKNOV). O-Lael Stables; B-J. K. & Linda
Griggs (KY); T-Arnaud Delacour. $170,000.
3–Anonymity, 124, f, 4, by Tapit
1st Dam: Stormy Sunday, by Sir Cat
2nd Dam: Thinkin'strait, by Highland Park
3rd Dam: Tescudera, by Temperence Hill
'TDN Rising Star' ($600,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-LNJ Foxwoods;
B-Kendall E. Hansen, M.D. Racing, LLC (KY); T-Richard E.
Mandella. $90,000.
Margins: HD, NK, HD. Odds: 25.90, 14.80, 31.90.
Also Ran: Marley's Freedom, Golden Mischief, Happy Like a Fool, Finley'sluckycharm, Highway Star, Mia Mischief, Skye Diamonds, Stormy Embrace, Selcourt, Kirby's Penny, Miss Sunset. Scratched: Dream Pauline. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.