BC Distaff

Pleasant Home made a home for herself in the winner’s circle of the Distaff (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com)

Phipps’ Stable’s homebred PLEASANT HOME (Seeking the Gold) shocked even her
trainer Saturday as the four-year-old filly proved much the best in the
$1,834,000
Breeders’ Cup Distaff
(G1), defeating her nearest rival by 9 1/4 lengths.

“I was surprised,” trainer Shug McGaughey said. “I mean I know she was a 20-1
shot, but I thought we would see a little betting on her. Closers have been
doing OK today but even when I looked up in the paddock and I saw her price was
23-1, and it wasn’t coming down, it was a real surprise. I don’t bet so it’s not
a big deal to me, but I certainly didn’t expect this.”

Last through the first call of :23 1/5, the dark bay
miss saved ground through the first half of the 1 1/8-mile affair before making her move
midway through the second turn, quickly gaining on the leaders beneath Cornelio
Velasquez. Pleasant Home split horses while four wide at the quarter pole and
took charge in midstretch, leaving everyone behind her, completing the fast
track event in 1:48 1/5.

“We broke good and I just followed (Edgar) Prado (jockey of Society Selection
[Coronado’s Quest]) and (John) Velazquez (aboard Ashado [Saint Ballado]),”
Velasquez said. “When I entered the turn, I knew I had so much horse, I knew I
was going to win.”

Pleasant Home was quite a surprise to her rivals (Uli Seit/Horsephotos.com)

Pleasant Home paid well for her victory, giving $63.50, $25.60 and $13.40 to
her backers while leading the $692 exacta and $3,453 trifecta at 30-1. Society
Selection crossed the wire in second to pay $12.80 and $7.90 at 11-1
while 5-2 favorite Ashado returned $3.30 for third, a neck farther back. Stellar Jayne (Wild Rush)
missed the board by 2 1/4 lengths to finish the 11-1-3-2 superfecta that gave
back $20,363.

In the Gold (Golden Missile), Capeside Lady (Cape Town), Nothing
But Fun (Dixie Union), Hollywood Story (Wild Rush), Sweet Symphony (A.P. Indy),
Island Fashion (Petionville), Happy Ticket (Anet), Yolanda B. Too (Two Punch)
and Healthy Addiction (Boston Harbor) rounded out the order of finish.

Pleasant Home is out of the unnraced mare Our Country Place (Pleasant
Colony) and counts herself as a full sister to multiple Grade 2 winner Our
Country Place. The Kentucky-bred dark bay miss increased her record to 12-5-2-3 and bypassed the
$1 million mark, improving her bankroll to $1,378,070. Other marks on her resume
include the Bed o’ Roses Breeders’ Cup H. (G3), as well as second-place finishes
in the Spinster S. (G1) and Ballerina S. (G1).