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Emollient flaunts her new blinkers in Rodeo Drive Juddmonte Farms' homebred Emollient had been underachieving in 2014, but the addition of blinkers had the desired effect in Saturday's Grade 1, $301,750 Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita. Finishing with newfound purpose to wear down Parranda, the Bill Mott trainee prevailed in this "Win & You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf over the same course and 1 1/4-mile distance. The Rodeo Drive was marred by a frightening spill on the far turn, when Moulin de Mougin slipped and tossed Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith. Immediate reports on social media indicated that horse and rider apparently escaped serious injury. Smith was fit to ride unbeaten champion Shared Belief to a gutsy win in the next race, the Awesome Again. Emollient, who was listed at 6-1 on the morning line, was dispatched as the 3-1 favorite. Although the new headgear might have been expected to make her more aggressive early, she did not get away particularly fast, and jockey Rosie Napravnik nestled her in midpack. Bunairgead, the 73-1 longest shot on the board, took up the pacesetting role and dictated soft fractions of :24 1/5, :48 4/5 and 1:13 3/5. Parranda kept close tabs in a prompting second, and Miss Serendipity stalked out in the clear. Irish Mission, initially accompanying Emollient in midpack, lost her position and found herself third from last entering the far turn. Moulin de Mougin had been unhurried at the rear of the field. Commencing a circling move on the far turn, the John C. Mabee winner looked ready to make her presence felt in the stretch. Then she suddenly fell. Thankfully, she bounced right back to her feet and cantered off. Meanwhile, at the head of proceedings, Parranda took over from the retreating Bunairgead turning into the stretch. But Emollient was rallying strongly in the clear and soon accosted the new leader. Although Parranda gamely attempted to fight back once headed, Emollient kept her at bay by a half-length, stopped the clock in 2:00 1/5, and paid $8.40. "She didn't break really sharp and she usually gets upset if she's in tight with horses, but Rosie did a heck of a job getting her to settle," assistant trainer David Lively said. "I had so much horse I knew I could wait until something opened up," Napravnik said of being bottled up in traffic early. "I was in a good position and could see where the holes were going to open up and she was really on her game today. "When I rode her last time (near-miss in the May 16 Gamely), she did the same thing and when I asked her, she was ready. I'm very thankful to Juddmonte and to Bill Mott to have me on her again." Irish Mission stayed on resolutely to force a dead-heat for third with Rusty Slipper. Bee Brave checked in fifth, followed by Cozze Up Lady, Queen of the Sand, Famous Alice, Bunairgead, Scarlet Strike and a disappointing Miss Serendipity. Charlie Em was withdrawn, and Stormy Lucy was a late scratch on the track. With this fourth Grade 1 trophy on her mantle, Emollient sports a mark of 17-6-3-1, $1,350,400. Runner-up in the 2012 Demoiselle on the Aqueduct dirt, the Kentucky-bred thrived on the switch to Keeneland's Polytrack in the 2013 Ashland and crushed her rivals by nine front-running lengths. She made her turf debut in last summer's American Oaks at Hollywood, where she ground out a half-length decision. Emollient earned her third Grade 1 victory in the Spinster back at Keeneland, rallying from last to first on the Polytrack. Emollient concluded her sophomore season with a fine fourth in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, suggesting that she'd be a top performer in the division this year. But she had gone winless in her five outings until the Rodeo Drive. Fourth in the March 16 Santa Ana here in her reappearance, she was outgamed when third in the April 18 Dougledogdare, a loss that dispelled her aura of invincibility on Keeneland's Polytrack. Emollient shipped west again for the Gamely and performed much better, only to be nipped late by Miss Serendipity. She was a troubled ninth next time in the July 19 Diana at Saratoga, and retreated to ninth again in the August 16 Beverly D. at Arlington, prompting the equipment change. "She loves this hard surface here -- I think that's what it is," Lively said of her solid efforts at Santa Anita. "She shipped in really well and was calm and she's had her game face on since she got off the van. "We're here for a couple more days then we'll be shipping back to New York. We'll ship back for Breeders' Cup. That's the plan right now." Her Rodeo Drive victory capped a big hour for her sire Empire Maker, who was exported to Japan in 2011. One race earlier, leading West Coast juvenile American Pharoah -- by the Empire Maker stallion Pioneerof the Nile -- rolled in the FrontRunner Stakes. Emollient is out of the Touch Gold mare Soothing Touch. Her second dam is Grade 2-placed stakes victress Glia, and her third dam is multiple Group 1-winning French highweight Coup de Genie. Herself a full sister to French champion and influential sire Machiavellian, Coup de Genie is responsible for four stakes winners, led by French highweight Denebola, and her other descendants include 2004 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe-winning champion Bago and multiple Group 1 star Maxios. Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
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