Mother Goose Sealed with a Kiss
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SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2018 >WONDER= FILLY SAFELY HOME IN PLATE MOTHER GOOSE Gary Barber=s >TDN Rising Star= Wonder Gadot (Medaglia SEALED WITH A KISS d=Oro) has become a throwback horse of sorts. Entering Saturday=s C$1-million Queen=s Plate at Woodbine, the May foal had made 11 starts in about 275 days, her longest >rest= being the 42 days she had between winning the Dec. 2 GII Demoiselle S. in New York and a runner-up effort in the Silverbulletday S. after relocating to New Orleans Jan. 13. The equine posterchild for >no rest for the weary,= the dark bay was equipped with a set of blinkers for the first time for the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown and she responded with arguably her best career effort, kicking home impressively to score by a decisive 4 3/4 lengths. In so doing, she becomes the fourth filly to beat the boys in the Plate this decade, joining Inglorious (Hennessy, 2011), fellow Barber/Casse campaigner Lexie Lou (Sligo Bay {Ire}, 2014) and last year=s winner Holy Helena (Ghostzapper). Cont. p4 Midnight Bisou | Chelsea Durand IN TDN EUROPE TODAY O’BRIEN BROTHERS CLINCH IRISH DERBY Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) remains the heavyweight among this Donnacha and Joseph O’Brien teamed up to deny their nation=s top sophomore dirt fillies, but Midnight Bisou father Aidan a 13th Irish Derby at The Curragh with Latrobe (Midnight Lute) reminded her that she looms a threat through (Ire). Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. the second half of the season with an utterly dominating victory over the previously undefeated Road to Victory (Quality Road) in Saturday=s GII Mother Goose S. at Belmont Park. Whereas she raced from well off the pace when victorious two back in the GI Santa Anita Oaks and--circumstantially--when third as the 2-1 favorite to Monomoy Girl in the GI Kentucky Oaks May 4, Midnight Bisou was ridden positively by Mike Smith and stalked the pace of her chief market rival, initially to her inside and then from her outside once Smith let her clear. Allowed to creep closer leaving the three-eighths point, Midnight Bisou was right alongside nearing the top of the lane and she kicked away from there with a minimum of fuss to score at will by a visually impressive six lengths. Road to Victory stayed on for second. Previously trained on the West Coast by Bill Spawr, Midnight Bisou, also a winner of this term=s GII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 7 and GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 3, was relocated to New York to best position her for the summer=s most important races in her division. Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen now handles the training duties. Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Sunday, July 1, 2018 Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN News and Features Editor Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Rachel McCaffrey Amie Morosco Photo Editor/Dir. of Distribution Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] The shore’s greatest stretch. While a heat wave scorched the U.S. Midwest and East, a sea breeze kept racing fans cool during Saturday's stakes races at Monmouth Park in Social Media Strategist Justina Severni Oceanport, NJ. | Sarah Andrew Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes FUNTASTIC WIRES THE UN 7 [email protected] Funtastic (More Than Ready) made his graded stakes debut in Marketing Manager style with a front-running score in Monmouth Park’s GI United Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen Nations S. Director of Information Technology Ray Villa TODAY’S GRADED STAKES [email protected] EST Race Click for TV Bookkeeper 9:45a Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud-G1, STC -------------- ------- Terry May 9:55a Grangecon Stud S.-G3, CUR -------------- TVG [email protected] 10:30a Finlay Volvo International S.-G3, CUR -------------- TVG WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 10:50a Prix de Malleret-G2, STC -------------- ------- International Editor 11:00a Grosser Hansa-Preis-G2, HAM -------------- ------- Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN 11:40a Juddmonte Pretty Polly S.-G1, CUR -------------- TVG [email protected] 12:15p Comer Group International Curragh Cup-G2, CUR -------------- TVG European Editor Emma Berry 1:45p Premio del Giubileo-G3, SSI -------------- ------- [email protected] 2:25p Gran Premio Di Milano-G2, SSI -------------- ------- Associate International Editor 4:05p Dominion Day S.-GIII, WO TJCIS PPs TVG Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 15 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • JULY 1, 2018 Heading for home in the Mother Goose | Rob Mauhar "She came to us in great condition from Bill Spawr,@ said Asmussen=s assistant trainer Scott Blasi. AShe's been a pleasure to be around. Very easy to train, does more when you need her to and does things effortlessly like the good ones do." He continued, "We'll see how she comes out of this tomorrow and she'll move up to Saratoga this week with our barn. We're starting to move horses in there right now and we're excited about this summer and the fall ahead with this filly. I think she's Saturday, Belmont Park capable of major things." MOTHER GOOSE S.-GII, $237,500, Belmont, 6-30, 3yo, f, Smith added, AI've got goose bumps--Mother Goose bumps. 1 1/16m, 1:41.02, ft. She ran like I know she's capable of. She's getting better. Steve 1--MIDNIGHT BISOU, 121, f, 3, by Midnight Lute [Asmussen] and his team has done a great job with her and Bill 1st Dam: Diva Delite (GSW, $300,067), by Repent [Spawr] did a great job with her.@ 2nd Dam: Tour Hostess, by Tour d'Or 3rd Dam: Counsel's Gal, by High Counsel Pedigree Notes: ($19,000 RNA Ylg '16 KEESEP; $80,000 2yo '17 OBSAPR). Midnight Bisou is one of three Grade I winners for Hill >n= O-Bloom Racing Stable, Madaket Stables LLC & Allen Racing Dale=s Midnight Lute, following Midnight Lucky and Shakin It Up. LLC.; B-Woodford Thoroughbreds, LLC. (KY); T-Steven M. Midnight Bisou is out of 2010 GIII Florida Oaks heroine Diva Asmussen; J-Mike E. Smith. $150,000. Lifetime Record: GISW, Delite, who raced as a homebred for CloverLeaf Farms (later 7-4-2-1, $691,000. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the renamed Woodford Thoroughbreds and also stood Diva Delite=s eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. sire Repent). The 11-year-old is also responsible for the 2-year-old gelding Stage Left (Congrats), a four-length debut winner for Wesley Ward at Keeneland this spring, a yearling colt by Warrior=s Reward and a weanling filly by Wicked Strong. 2--Road to Victory, 121, f, 3, Quality Road--Favoritism, by Tiznow. ($25,000 Ylg '16 KEESEP; $500,000 2yo '17 OBSAPR). O-Barber, Gary & Oxley, John C.; B-George Bolton & David DiPietro (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. $50,000. Consigned by de Meric Sales Tristan & Valery de Meric Graduate TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 15 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • JULY 1, 2018 Mother Goose cont. 3--My Miss Lilly, 121, f, 3, Tapit--Wicked Deed, by Harlan's Holiday. ($670,000 Ylg '16 KEESEP). O-Courtlandt Farms (Donald and Donna Adam); B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Mark A. Hennig. $25,000. Consigned by GAINESWAY Margins: 6, 1 1/4, HF. Odds: 0.45, 1.90, 6.70. Also Ran: Indy Union. Scratched: Gio Game, Mo Smart, Coach Rocks. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Queen=s Plate cont. Wonder Gadot | WEG/Michael Burns photo Away without incident from her double-digit draw, Wonder Gadot found herself in midfield as the Queen=s Plate field raced under the line with a circuit to travel, with >TDN Rising Star= and Plate Trial hero Telekinesis (Ghostzapper) having to work overtime on the business end of things. Three wide and on the back of Rose=s Vision (Artie Schiller) banking around the first turn, Wonder Gadot was guided out into the clear and had advanced into fifth spot passing midway, assuring a wide passage through the second half of the race. Always traveling like a winner, Wonder Gadot was felt for by Velazquez and loomed up four deep at the entrance to the straight, while Cooler Mike (Giant Gizmo) was simultaneously coming with a run underneath her. But the filly was always doing the superior work and she showed a nice burst of acceleration over the furthest trip of her career to prove not for catching. Aheadbyacentury (Midnight Lute) rallied nicely for second ahead of Cooler Mike. Casse was understandably over the moon and is looking forward to a return trip to the lower 48. Cont. p5 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 5 OF 15 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • JULY 1, 2018 AIf all goes well, the [July 24] Prince of Wales [at Fort Erie] Saturday, Woodbine could set her up well for the Alabama,@ said Casse, referring to QUEEN'S PLATE S., C$1,008,000, Woodbine, 6-30, (C), 3yo, Saratoga=s 3-year-old filly centerpiece Aug.