Aud closes for Cardinal win
Wilmott Stables Inc.’s AUD (Wild Again) ran in last until the
half-mile mark in the $173,550 Cardinal H.
(G3), started inching
up while still on the inside, then came four wide between her
rivals to just get up for the neck victory. The Tony
Reinstedler-trained four-year-old gave Brice Blanc a sweep of the
stakes at Churchill Downs on Saturday and finished 1 1/8 miles on
the yielding turf in 1:53 4/5.
Angela’s Love (Not for Love) moved to the front to set splits
of : 24 3/5, :49 2/5, 1:14 and 1:40 1/5, all the while tracked by
May Gator (Green Alligator). While this was going on, Aud and
Blanc were patiently making their way up along the inside. The
pair moved around Beret (Royal Academy) nearing the stretch but
reclaimed the rail in the stretch. It wasn’t until the final
furlong that Aud put in her run to take only her second win of
the year.
Aud paid $9, $4.20 and $3.60 while starting the $287.60 exacta
and nice $6,939.20 trifecta as the 7-2 second pick. May Gator had
her head in front of Angela’s Love at the wire to take second,
returning $36 and $19 at 51-1, while show gave back $16.40 at
38-1.
Noisette (Broad Brush), sent off at 15-1, completed the
6-5-12-11 superfecta that paid a monstrous $100,092.50 for a $1
ticket. Classic Stamp (Regal Classic), the 8-5 favorite, was
another neck back in fifth and next came Finery (Lear Fan),
Beret, Shaconage (El Prado [Ire]), On the Bus (Ghazi), Chance
Dance (American Chance) and Nannycam (Pulpit). Beautiful Bets
(Alphabet Soup) and Ocean Silk (Dynaformer) were both scratched.
This win pushed Aud’s earnings to $485,623 and improved her
record to 20-6-5-0. Her other score this season came via
disqualification in the Yellow Rose Breeders’ Cup S. at Lone Star
Park, but the dark bay miss captured the Pucker Up S. (G3) last
year. Included in her runner-up finishes are the Mrs. Revere S.
(G2), Modesty H. (G3) and Beaugay H. (G3).
The Kentucky-bred four-year-old is the third registered foal
out of the Grade 3-winning Gail’s Brush (Broad Brush) and has an
unnamed yearling half-sister by Honour and Glory.