Brushwood Stable’s MUSHKA (Empire Maker) took command leaving the final turn
and powered home a comfortable, 1 1/4-length heroine of the $110,500
Glens
Falls H. (G3) at Saratoga on Monday. Traveling in second early under Kent
Desormeaux, the blue-blooded filly was given her cue as she neared the stretch
and she responded, quickly taking over and keeping a clear margin to the wire.
The final time for 1 3/8 miles on the firm inner turf was 2:13 2/5, and the 5-2
favorite paid $7.40, $4.60 and $3.20 for conditioner Bill Mott.
“She broke real smart and everything went according to plan after the break,”
Desormeaux said. “The distance was fine for her. She was full of run. I can’t do
it without an eager mount; and my mount was eager. She cornered in hand, and I
hadn’t encouraged her to run yet. She started lengthening her stride, so she was
telling me she wanted to go faster.”
“She ran well,” Mott said. “It was a good set-up and she was on the bridle
and traveling really well. Kent said when she turned the corner, she did it all
on her own and opened up.”
Lemonette (Lemon Drop Kid), next to last for the opening mile of the race,
flew home on the outside to be a fine second by a nose at nearly 15-1. The
runner-up paid $12.40 and $7.80 while completing the $120 exacta. Queen of
Hearts (Thunder Gulch) saved ground throughout but lacked the acceleration to
get to the top one, ultimately settling for third at 24-1. Show was worth $10.40
and the trifecta returned $2,196. The $16,324 superfecta (3-10-2-5) was attained
when the 5-1 Caprice (Ger) (Monsun) finished fourth.
Bubbly Jane (Brz) (Yagli) was fifth and trailed by Astrologie (Fr) (Polish
Precedent), Tejida (Rahy), Avie’s Tale (Tale of the Cat), Communique (Smart
Strike) and early leader Zaskar (GB) (Anabaa), who weakened after recording
splits of :23 4/5, :48, 1:12 1/5 and 1:38. Winter View (Thunder Gulch) and Shake
the Moon (Ger) (Loup Solitaire), an also-eligible, were withdrawn.
Mushka picked up her second graded win in this affair, following a score in
the 2007 Demoiselle S. (G2) to conclude her freshman campaign. The Kentucky-bred
filly now boasts a 15-5-2-3 mark with $423,625 in lifetime earnings. She had
placed in a trio of graded tests earlier this year — the Suwannee River S.
(G3), Sheepshead Bay S. (G2) and Dance Smartly S. (Can-G2) — and she was coming
off a seventh in the Diana S. (G1), where she never recovered after a bobbling
break.
The winner was bred by Diane Snowden and originally purchased for $1.6
million at the 2006 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling sale. She went to her current
connections for $2.4 million at the 2008 Keeneland November sale.
Mushka is the first foal from the stakes-winning Sluice (Seeking the Gold),
who is also responsible for an unnamed 2009 colt by Smart Strike. Sluice is
herself a half-sister to current sophomore Flying Spur (Giant’s Causeway),
runner-up in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) and third in the Kentucky Oaks (G1).
Mushka’s second dam is four-time Grade 1 queen Lakeway (Seattle Slew), and she
hails from the same family as undefeated Grade 1-winning sire Saratoga Six (Alydar)
and champion Bold Forbes (Irish Castle), hero of the 1976 Kentucky Derby (G1)
and Belmont S. (G1).