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Coffee Clique stays hot, takes Just a Game by a lip

Coffee Clique (right) just held off Strathnaver to notch her first Grade 1 win (Jim Tyrrell/Horsephotos.com) Amerman Racing's homebred Coffee Clique barely reached the wire in front of a hard-charging Strathnaver in Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Just a Game at Belmont Park, remaining perfect from three starts this season and continuing her rise in the turf distaff ranks. Under Javier Castellano, the Brian Lynch filly sped the mile over the firm Widener turf in a sprightly 1:32 2/5. Coffee Clique, who was coming off a career high Grade 2 victory in the May 3 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile on Kentucky Derby Day, rated as the 9-2 fourth choice in her first top-level test. The three market leaders were all proven in elite company -- 5-2 favorite Discreet Marq and the top two from last year's Just a Game, the 7-2 Stephanie's Kitten and 4-1 Better Lucky. But the Grade 1 establishment was overturned by the up-and comer. Somali Lemonade bounded out to the early lead, pressed by Unlimited Budget and Discreet Marq through splits of :23 2/5 and :46 2/5. By the time the leader clocked six furlongs in 1:10 1/5, Unlimited Budget had retreated from the scene, and Discreet Marq was poised to strike. Coffee Clique was settled a little further back in fourth. Better Lucky, who stumbled at the start, was already under pressure. The 17-1 Strathnaver bided her time near the rear, while Stephanie's Kitten was unhurried in last.

Discreet Marq launched her bid down the stretch and appeared to put her head in front of a stubborn Somali Lemonade, but the favorite could offer no more. Wider out, Coffee Clique kicked into gear and mowed down the leaders. Yet even as she asserted, a new challenger erupted in the deep-closing Strathnaver. The longshot was gaining ground fast with every stride, but Coffee Clique prevailed by a nose and rewarded her backers with an $11.60 win payout.

"A Grade 1 absolutely is the pinnacle for her," Lynch said. "She's a homebred, which makes that family so valuable, and she's just such a courageous filly. Just thrilled to see her dog it out like she did.

"It's a world title match to be here today, to compete against this competition. But as I've always said, winning form is good form. She had won two in a row, she fit here today, and she ran like she belonged. God bless her."

"I had a beautiful trip -- it set up perfectly," Castellano said. "I had a perfect spot in the race, exactly what I was looking for. Three horses went out for the lead and I was covered up all the way in the race. When my filly took off, she came with a big run.

"It was hard to tell (if I won the photo) in the heat of battle. It was a very emotional race."

Strathnaver's rider, Hall of Famer Mike Smith, thought his mount had arrived in time.

"She ran brilliantly," Smith said. "I want to see the photo. I'm really disappointed, I thought I got there, but evidently I didn't. She ran a tremendous race, I rode her just like (trainer) Graham (Motion) told me to, sit and give her one short run. I'm just dumbfounded."

"I'd feel a little bit better if that wasn't such a tough beat," Motion said. "I told Mike not to rush her, and I wouldn't second guess him if he waited too long to move. She ran a great race, and he gave her a great ride."

Somali Lemonade kept on resolutely to hold third, edging Discreet Marq.

Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode Discreet Marq, believed that post 8 proved costly.

"I got an outside post, and I tried to get her out of there," Ortiz said. "We got out of there, but my filly has speed. Some horses were going, so I saved her so I could drop in, but we went a little wide. I didn't want to be that wide. I wanted to save more ground."

Stephanie's Kitten rallied belatedly for fifth, and Waterway Run, Ready Signal, Better Lucky and Unlimited Budget rounded out the order of finish. Dame Marie, a half-length second to Coffee Clique in the Distaff Turf Mile, was withdrawn.

A daughter of Medaglia d'Oro, Coffee Clique captured her only start as a juvenile over Woodbine's Polytrack. The bay disappointed in a Gulfstream Park allowance on the dirt in her three-year-old debut, but promptly cleared her entry-level allowance condition when switching to the turf at the same venue. Fourth in the 2013 Herecomesthebride and elevated to second via disqualification in the Secret Grace, Coffee Clique thrived back on Polytrack at Woodbine, rolling to a four-length victory over ill-fated Nipissing in the Selene. But she didn't have as much success in her two remaining starts of the season on turf, finishing fourth versus her elders in the Dance Smartly and third among her own division in the Ontario Colleen August 17.

In 2014, however, Coffee Clique has dispelled the notion that she's better on synthetic by going three-for-three on turf. Resuming from a seven-month layoff, she scored a head victory March 26 optional claimer at Gulfstream Park, setting her up for her tilt at the Distaff Turf Mile. Now a winner on both the Derby and Belmont Stakes undercards, she sports a mark of 11-6-1-1, $817,488.

Bred in Kentucky by Mrs. Jerry Amerman, Coffee Clique is a half-sister to the stakes-placed sophomore Schoolofhardrocks, a good-looking 4 1/4-length allowance winner over the Santa Anita turf on May 31. They are out of the winning Royal Academy mare Miss Chapin, and their second dam is the French-bred Society Dream, a Grade 3-placed stakes winner. With her sixth dam being Sleek Dancer, Coffee Clique hails from the family of Grade 1 heroines Sharp Belle and Caffe Latte, 1987 Irish Derby victor Sir Harry Lewis, and at a further remove, champions Wait a While and Lookin at Lucky.

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