Questing likely to target Cotillion next; Zo Impressive
headed to Rood & Riddle
by Brisnet.com
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin was still aglow Sunday morning on the heels of Questing’s dazzling nine-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 1 Alabama
at Saratoga, which
earned the three-year-old Godolphin filly a 108 BRIS Speed figure.
“Since I’ve been training, that was one of the most impressive performances I’ve
ever had,” McLaughlin stated. “We won by 20 lengths in Dubai years ago with a
horse named Key of Luck. Cigar ran 30 minutes later, we ran 1 1/4 miles on the
dirt faster than Cigar did. That was the most impressive, or on the same level.
It was like Questing went out in the morning and went 1 1/4 miles on her own.”
The victory was the third straight on dirt for the British-bred daughter of Hard
Spun, who began her career on the turf in England.
“It could help us trainers in America, because maybe they’ll leave more Hard
Spuns here,” McLaughlin said. “Most of the Hard Spuns went to Europe because
he’s a son of Danzig. For her, I think the dirt has been a big help because she
pulls hard. And pulling on the turf doesn’t work, usually. But this was
unbelievable.”
Questing, who drifted out in the stretch when she won the Grade 1 Coaching
Club American Oaks on July 21, took an erratic path through the stretch in
Saturday’s race. McLaughlin said future instructions to jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.
would likely be to not touch her with the whip “unless you have to.”
After speaking with Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford, McLaughlin said the
Grade 1 Cotillion for three-year-old fillies at Parx Racing on September 22 could be
the next logical spot for Questing as they mull options in New York for multiple
Grade 1 winner It’s Tricky and recent allowance winner Dance Card that could
include the Grade 1 Beldame Invitational for fillies and mares on September 29
at Belmont Park.
Grade 1 winner Zo Impressive was resting comfortably in her stall Sunday
morning, the day after suffering a condylar fracture in her right front leg
while running fourth in the Alabama Stakes.
Trainer Tom Albertrani said the gray daughter of Hard Spun will be sent this
week to the Rood & Riddle Equine Center in Lexington, Kentucky, for surgery to repair
the damage, after which a decision will be made on her racing future.
“She’s actually getting around the stall pretty good,” Albertrani said. “She’s
just in a pressure bandage right now. It’s amazing. She had a good night. She’s
standing square in her stall and she’s got her head out. She doesn’t seem
stressed out at all about it.
“We’ll ship her to Kentucky in the next couple of days. She’s got a condylar
fracture, but fortunately it didn’t go spiraling up the leg. It kind of just
displaced right off the bottom. We’ll see how surgery goes and go from there.”
Zo Impressive had been first or second in her six starts prior to the Alabama,
winning the Grade 1 Mother Goose at Belmont Park on June 23. She was runner-up
to Questing in the CCA Oaks at Saratoga on July 21 and was also second in the
Grade 1 Acorn at Big Sandy on May 28.
“She’s got a good nature about her,” Albertrani added. “If you look at her, she
acts like there’s nothing wrong with her. She ought to be a good patient. It
should hopefully be a simple procedure and she comes out of it OK. We’ll see
what the next steps are.”
Zo Impressive finished 1 1/4 lengths behind Via Villaggio in the Alabama, and
trainer Jerry Hollendorfer was “thrilled” with that latter filly’s
run.
“Questing’s performance was quite something to see,” Hollendorfer
said. “I don’t know what
is it with that filly wandering in the stretch, but I told Kiaran (McLaughlin)
it didn’t make any difference, so long as she won. We had a good laugh.”
Hollendorfer is no stranger to the Alabama, having saddled eventual champion
Blind Luck to capture the 2010 edition by a neck over last year’s champion older
female and Horse of the Year Havre de Grace.
Trainer Shug McGaughey said that Sea Island emerged no worse for wear
after she was bumped on the clubhouse turn in the Alabama. The Pulpit filly
wound up sixth on the wire in the 10-furlong contest.
“I think all the action on the first turn, her being lightly raced, her being
ambitiously placed, and her being a Pulpit, when all that happened that’s all
she wanted,” McGaughey explained. “I don’t know exactly what happened
— there was a
lot of scrambling around — but she came back fine.”
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