Daisy Devine on Saturday ended her 2012 campaign, which encompassed a Grade 1
The 1-5 favorite over four rivals in the $72,000
Ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., Daisy Devine set splits of :24, :49 2/5 and
In a spread-out field, Forest Uproar, the 5-1 third choice, finished 10 3/4
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Daisy Devine, whose 2011 tallies included the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks,
Grade 3 Valley View and the Pago Hop, kicked off her four-year-old campaign with
a 2 1/4-length score in the February 21 Mardi Gras Handicap over the Blushing K.
D. course and distance. She stretched her win streak to four in the April 14
Jenny Wiley, and recently rebounded from a two-race losing skein to take the
Grade 3 Cardinal Handicap at Churchill Downs by a head.
The Kentucky-bred, owned by James M. Miller and trained by Andrew McKeever,
now boasts a line of 16-9-2-1, $946,281.
“She looks as good as ever. We just take it as we go. I think the next race
is January 19 (the $75,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial Stakes at about 1 1/16 miles
on turf) and we go from there,” McKeever said. “The main objective is the Jenny
Wiley at Keeneland (on April 14).”
Daisy Devine was bred in Kentucky by J. Reiley McDonald and fetched a mere
$5,500 at the 2009 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She was produced by the
Devil’s Bag mare Devil’s Dispute, who also reared the stakes-winning Patent
Pending.
Daisy Devine’s second dam is Grade 2 winner Impetuous Gal, the dam of
multiple Grade 1-winning producer Banker’s Lady and Grade 3 winner Idabel. Also
hailing from this family are Grade 1 winner Ecton Park and multiple Grade 2 hero
Banker’s Gold.
Strike Impact, an eight-year-old Smart Strike gelding, improved on his
Tracking in second behind a dawdling pace of :25, :51 1/5 and 1:16 4/5 set by
“A horse like this has done it so long and is used to competing on a high
Hotep, who trailed most of the way, rallied to finish second by a neck over
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Owned by Chester J. Miller and trainer Pat Dupuy, Strike Impact was recording
only his second career stakes win, the first having come in the July 3
Independence Day at Mountaineer. The Kentucky-bred has placed twice at the
graded level, finishing third in the 2011 Grade 2 Firecracker Handicap and in
the Grade 3 Colonel E.R. Bradley Handicap this past January. The 2013 renewal of
the Bradley, on January 19, is likely the next start for Smart Strike.
Bred by Hermitage Farm, Strike Impact was produced by the stakes-winning Time
for a Change mare Foret Noire, a half-sister to Grade 3 winners Marastani and
Christine’s Outlaw, and to stakes scorers Crimson Classic and Amansara. All were
reared by the Grade 3-winning Marianna’s Girl.
Strike Impact’s lengthy record now reads 69-18-9-11, $657,393.
Making only his second career appearance on grass, China pulled off a massive
The longest shot on the board at 36-1, China returned $74.20, $21.20 and
Campaigned by Black Sheep Racing, China was last of 10 in his only previous
“When I saw him work I thought that this was a logical spot and he’s probably
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An early-season debut winner at two over future Grade 1 winner Noble’s
Promise, China had placed only twice in stakes prior to the Bonapaw — in the 2011 Bet on Sunshine and the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint
Handicap this past May. His record now stands at 18-6-3-4, $271,072.
Bred in Kentucky by Totier Creek Farm, China was produced by the
stakes-placed Indian Charlie mare Crow Jane, herself a half-sister to stakes
winner Secret Lover. The five-year-old descends from Endine, a two-time winner
of the Delaware Handicap.
Gary and Mary West’s up-and-coming juvenile Tour Guide scored a convincing
I’ve Struck a Nerve, the 3-1 second choice, finished a clear second, 3 1/2
Trained by Bret Calhoun, Tour Guide finished second in his Monmouth Park
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“He had some chronic respiratory problems up there,” said Calhoun in
reference to Tour Guide’s poor showing in the Dover. “He was having some
displacing problems and didn’t get the best of rides and just a lot of things
didn’t go right that day. We got him off the East Coast to Churchill and got all
the respiratory problems cleared up and did a little minor throat surgery on him
and it’s worked pretty well since then.”
A homebred foaled in Kentucky, Tour Guide was produced by the Came Home mare
Homefortheholidays. His extended family includes the likes of juvenile filly
champion Pleasant Stage and Grade 1 winners A Phenomenon and Seattle Meteor.
The Washington-bred Finding More won for the third time in four outings with
Benefiting from a speed duel led by Coastal Sunrise, whose opening quarter
Bred by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Pabst and owned by Daniel Kenney, Finding More was
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A $4,500 yearling purchase in Washington, Finding More was reared by the
Green Dancer mare Greenmountain Girl, making her a half-sister to the
stakes-placed Jablunkov Pass. This family has yielded Grade 2 winner Prince
Westport and Grade 3 victor Krazy Koffee.
“I think we will see if she can go two turns,” assistant trainer Evan Downing
said. “The owner remembered the sire, Trickey Trevor, and happened to be in
Washington and saw this filly in the sale. She was one or two in the sale and
was going to sell right away. He remembered the sire being really fast and
thought nobody else would even know who that was. He looked at the filly and she
was pretty correct and clean and he bought her for $4,500. And here we are! It
does sound like she has more sprint breeding but she won going seven-eighths
last time so we’ll probably try.”
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