Stars to Shine holds Upperline in Trillium; Just Got In takes My Dear

Stars to Shine holds Upperline in Trillium; Just Got In

takes My Dear

by Brisnet.com

A determined Stars to Shine held off a rallying Upperline to win the $97,795

Trillium

Stakes on Sunday's Queen's Plate undercard at Woodbine. Stars to Shine,

ridden by Alex Solis and trained by Mark Frostad for The Grange House

Partnership, rushed to the lead through the far turn of the 1 1/8-mile event and

held sway as the trio of Upperline, Smart Penny and Maristar tried and failed to

reel her in.

Euro Platinum led the seven-horse field through moderate fractions, marking a

quarter in :24 3/5 and a half in :49 1/5, with Smart Penny and Stars to Shine

hot on her heels. As the field entered the far turn, Stars to Shine and Rock the

Moon overtook the pacesetter as the rest of the field began their run.

Stars to Shine put away Rock the Moon but needed all of her reserve to stave

off defending champion and even-money favorite Upperline by a nose in a final

time of 1:51 1/5 over the Polytrack. Smart Penny, a half-length in arrears of

Upperline, earned show money by a head over Maristar.

Frostad was impressed with the strong ride from his rider to hold off

Upperline in the late stages of the race.

"He's sat on her a few times now and he did a great job with her," the

trainer commented.

Stars to Shine earned $58,560 for the win, her fifth in 11 career outings, to

push her bankroll to $300,105. She paid $6.20, $3.20 and $2.60 as the 2-1 second

choice. Completing the order of finish were Upperline, Smart Penny, Maristar,

Rock the Moon, Dixie Chicken and Euro Platinum.

Stars to Shine earned her first stakes win when taking the Belle Mahone in

late August, and the dark bay Tale of the Cat daughter quickly followed up with

a third in the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes. She was a nice fifth in the Grade 1

Spinster Stakes to close out her four-year-old season in October, and improved

her scorecard to 11-5-1-2 with this season-opening score.

The stakes action on Queen's Plate Day got underway when Debmar Stables' Just

Got In survived a torrid speed duel with Ju Ju Eyeballs and then had enough left

to stave off a charging Lake Dancer to win the $152,256

My Dear

Stakes.

Just Got In, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Songandaprayer, went postward the

4-5 favorite with Christopher Griffith aboard, but was immediately pressured

from the start by Ju Ju Eyeballs, the 3-1 second choice, as the fillies zipped

through an opening quarter in :21 3/5. They were still going at it turning for

home, after a half in :45, before Just Got In began to draw clear of her

pursuer.

However, Lake Dancer and Luis Contreras mounted a furious rally in deep

stretch to just miss, as Just Got In prevailed by a diminishing neck in a final

time of :59 for five furlongs on the Polytrack. Longshot Evangeline's Hope

closed stoutly along the rail for third while Ju Ju Eyeballs faded to fourth.

"To be honest, it felt like we were going too fast," Griffith said. "I was

trying to get my filly to relax and slow down a little bit. But she wouldn't

have any part of it, so we just had to go on with it. Luckily, she held on. She

was very tired but she kept fighting right to the wire."

"Her first race was like a breeze. She never got a test. She won by herself

in hand," said the jockey's brother, trainer Ricky Griffith. "We had a little

setback with her this week. And we were kind of on the fence whether we were

going to make it (run in the My Dear) or not. But things worked out. She's got

some class."

Just Got In paid $3.70, $2.60 and $2.40 for taking her stakes debut. Lake

Dancer had a half-length to spare over Evangeline's Hope, with Ju Ju Eyeballs

another three parts of a length bcak in fourth. Shi Shi Foo Foo came next and

was followed under the wire by Aberfoyle Mill and Rutherford Rd.

Just Got In made her racing debut on May 26, easily scoring that day by 7 1/2

lengths. The bay juvenile miss is now two-for-two in her career and has banked

$120,427.

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