After a riveting stretch duel, Oxbow Racing’s ERMINE (Exchange Rate)
prevailed over Joint Effort (Runaway Groom) in an all-sophomore photo-finish to
Thursday’s $330,300
Falls City H. (G2) at Churchill Downs. By completing 1 1/8
miles on the fast track in 1:49 4/5, the Ronny Werner trainee posted her first
graded stakes victory while returning $9.20, $4.60 and $4 as the 7-2 third
choice in the eight-horse field.
The drama for Ermine actually began six races earlier on the Thanksgiving Day
card, when her regular pilot, Churchill’s leading rider Calvin Borel, suffered multiple fractures in his
right wrist during a spill in the 5TH race. While the injured Borel was
preparing for surgery at Norton Audubon Hospital that evening, Werner turned to
Eddie Castro to fill in, and the 21-year-old rising star proved to be an
inspired choice.
Castro positioned Ermine beautifully in third along the inside, tracking the
pace dictated by Sea Siren (Stormy Atlantic) through splits of :24 2/5 and :48
4/5. Joint Effort, who had been prompting the pace in second, moved up to put
her head in front after six furlongs in 1:13 1/5. Turning for home, Castro swung
Ermine to the outside for a clear path, and the chestnut offered a bold rally to
collar Joint Effort in midstretch, getting the mile in 1:37 2/5. Joint Effort
refused to yield without a fight, however, and she battled back along the inside
to make the finish agonizingly close. At the wire, Ermine held a narrow
advantage that was officially declared a head.
Joint Effort’s rider, Mark Guidry, lodged a claim of foul against the winner,
but the stewards disallowed his allegation of interference in the stretch.
“(Ermine) has a lot of fight,” Werner said. “It was a great race, a great
race. They fought hard — both of those horses.”
The brave Joint Effort gave back $5.20 and $4.60 at 5-1. It was another three
lengths back to 27-1 longshot Cursora (Arg) (Candy Stripes), who closed from
last to snare third, paying $9. Last year’s Kentucky Oaks (G1) queen, Summerly
(Summer Squall), broke awkwardly and raced farther back than usual in the early
going, eventually checking in fourth in her career finale. The exotics were
worth $59.40 (exacta), $671.80 (trifecta) and $2,301.60 (3-5-1-2 superfecta).
Sea Siren faded to fifth, followed by Cryptoquip (Cryptoclearance), the 5-2
favorite Sangrita (Mr. Greeley) and Silmaril (Diamond).
Ermine now sports a mark of 10-4-3-0 with $441,082 in earnings. Although her
only prior stakes win came in the Honeybee S. at Oaklawn Park, she had finished
an excellent second in the Kentucky Oaks. The chestnut was coming off a
seven-length allowance romp beneath the Twin Spires.
Bred in Florida by Amy Bondon-Peltz, the winner was a $45,000 yearling
purchase at the 2004 OBS August sale. Ermine is out of the winning Red Mischief
(Thirty Six Red), who has also produced a yearling colt by Trippi named Trippin
Up and a weanling filly named Legendary Peace (Peace Rules).
Werner mentioned the Apple Blossom H. (G1) at Oaklawn next spring as a future
target for Ermine.