Many were expecting Saturday’s $500,000
The Andrew McKeever pupil tracked the pacesetting Grandacious (Grand Slam)
“She’s got a high closing gear,” Graham said. “Picks up from it and
Daisy Devine was the 9-2 second choice in the race and returned $11, $5.40
“That was a great result,” McKeever said. “She trained super going
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Maiden winner St. John’s River (Include) rallied from
the back to take second by 1 3/4 lengths over Niji’s Grand Girl (Candy Ride
[Arg]), who was in turn a half-length up on 6-5 favorite Inglorious.
Grandacious, Tapit Dancer (Tapit), Tourmaline (Kafwain), Switching Gears (Tapit)
and Little Miss Holly (Maria’s Mon) completed the order under the wire after
Snow Fall (War Front) was an early scratch.
“We’re a little disappointed,” trainer Josie Carroll said of Inglorious.
“She didn’t get the opportunity to kick home the way she normally would, you
know, sit back and wait and kick home. But she ran her race against nice horses
and hopefully she comes out of it well and that’s all we can ask for.”
When asked if the Kentucky Oaks (G1) was still under consideration Carroll
replied, “I have absolutely no idea until we see how she comes out of it. I
talked to the owners and we determined we’re going to analyze the race and then
we’ll decide whether she should go in that direction or not.”
The Fair Grounds Oaks runner-up and third-place finisher are also still
possible for the first Friday in May.
“She ran her race and she got outrun. She ran a great race,” trainer Andy
Leggio Jr. said of St. John’s River. “I knew she was that good; that’s why she
was in there. We’re going to Keeneland and we’re not sure what after that. We
thought if she’d win this race we’d run her in the Kentucky Oaks and we
still have that in the back of our minds. If the race had been a little bit
longer we would’ve won it.”
“She’s such a hard tryer,” conditioner Ken McPeek spoke of Niji’s Grand Girl.
“We may try her there (in the Kentucky Oaks). She broke her maiden there (at
Churchill Downs). We’ll see. She ran a good race and at this point we’re just
trying to get her cooled out. Whether she runs in the Kentucky Oaks and all that
depends on how she does between now and then. It’s possible; I’m not going to
rule it out.”
Daisy Devine improved her career mark to 5-4-1-0 with this victory, with her
only off-the-board run coming over the synthetic Polytrack last October in a
Keeneland maiden. McKeever took his charge to Fair Grounds for the winter, and
the bay lass scored against maiden claiming rivals in early December. She
returned at the end of that month to add an allowance win to her resume, and opened
her sophomore campaign with a nice neck second in the Silverbulletday S. over
the track.
Bred by J. Reiley McDonald in Kentucky, Daisy Devine was a bargain $5,500
Keeneland September yearling purchase for her owner. She is out of the Devil’s
Bag mare Devil’s Dispute, whose first foal, Patent Pending (Conquistador Cielo),
was a stakes winner in New York. Devil’s Dispute is also the dam of 2007
Claiming Crown Iron Horse S. victor Bargainwiththedevil (Southern Halo) and a
juvenile colt named Senor Peligroso (El Corredor).
Daisy Devine’s second dam is Grade 2 heroine Impetuous Gal (Briartic), who
would go on in the breeding shed to produce three-time Grade 1 queen Banker’s
Lady (Nijinsky II) and Grade 3 scorer Idabel (Mr. Prospector). Banker’s Lady is
herself the dam of dual Grade 2 star Banker’s Gold (Forty Niner), who was
runner-up in the 1998 editions of the Metropolitan H. (G1) and Carter H. (G1).
Others of note in this line include Grade 1 king Ecton Park (Forty Niner);
Grade/Group 3 winners Charity Belle (Empire Maker), Daring Heart (Sunday
Silence) and Pit Fighter (Pulpit); and last year’s Gallant Bob S. winner and
King’s Bishop S. (G1) second Bank Merger (Consolidator).