Madam Dancealot proved that a mile is well within her scope with a decisive, late-running tally in Del Mar's Sunday feature. It was the sophomore's second group/graded triumph of her career, having captured the six-furlong G3 Dick Poole S. at Salisbury in Great Britain prior to being privately purchased and imported to the States.
The chestnut won twice from six starts in England for trainer Joseph Tuite, highlighted by her Dick Poole score in September 2016. Entering the Baltas barn following the private purchase, Madam Dancealot ran 13th in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November and missed hitting the board in two stakes tries over the lawn in Arcadia to begin 2017. She returned from a brief freshening in razor-sharp form, however, easily bagging a 6 1/2-furlong allowance test May 14 and recently rallying to just miss when second in the Special Goddess S. over that same course and distance June 11.
Sliding over to the rail soon after the start, she lagged off the pace in last behind a half-mile in :46.31 and gained some steam down the backstretch. Shifted out to the four path with significant work to do turning for home, the filly stormed down the center of the strip and tagged pace-setting Lull to win going away.
“When we turned for home, I thought she was really going to finish strong for me,” said jockey Jamie Theriot. “And she surely did.”
Winning trainer Richard Baltas added, “The way she was finishing the last two races on the grass down the hill at Santa Anita, I thought she could get a mile. She's settled now, she's relaxed and when she was last down the backside, I was like 'Wow.' I know she can run and when a good horse gets settled like that they're going to run at the end, and she did.”
Heavily favored Sircat Sally, previously unbeaten in seven starts, did not show her usual early speed and was pulled up in the gallop out and vanned back to the stable area.
Pedigree Notes:
Madam Dancealot's second dam is a half-sister to MSW & MGSP Royal Strand (Ire) (Royal Academy), MGSW & GISP Alderbrook (GB) (Ardross {Ire}), SW & MGSP Restructure (Ire) (Danehill) and MSW Native Twine (GB) (Be My Native). She is the most recent produce for her dam.
Sunday, Del Mar
SAN CLEMENTE H.-GII, $201,035, DMR, 7-23, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:34.75, fm.
1–MADAM DANCEALOT (IRE), 121, f, 3, by Sir Prancealot (Ire)
1st Dam: Sisal (Ire), by Danehill
2nd Dam: Ship's Twine (Ire), by Slip Anchor (GB)
3rd Dam: Twine (Ire), by Thatching (Ire)
(4,761gns RNA 2yo '16 TATABR; £100,000 2yo '16 GOFLON;
€260,000 2yo '16 GOFFCH). O-Slam Dunk Racing; B-Tally Ho
Stud (IRE); T-Richard Baltas; J-Jamie Theriot. $120,000.
Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, 12-4-3-0, $219,775. Werk Nick
Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”kern-lillingston-purchasedasahorseintraining”]2–Lull, 120, f, 3, War Front–Quiet Now, by Tiznow.
O/B-Claiborne Farm & Adele B. Dilschneider (KY); T-Christophe
Clement. $40,000.
3--Sircat Sally, 125, f, 3, Surf Cat–Sister Sally, by In Excess (Ire).
O/B-Joe L. Turner (CA); T-Jerry Hollendorfer. $24,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, HF, HF. Odds: 21.20, 1.90, 1.40.
Also Ran: Storm the Hill, Kenda, Blame It On Alphie, Enthrall, Spy Ring (Ire). Scratched: Noted and Quoted. 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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