Coffee Clique issues wake-up call in Distaff Turf Mile

Coffee Clique (right) trimmed the hedge to take the Distaff Turf Mile over Dame Marie (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

Amerman Racing LLC’s homebred Coffee Clique slipped through along the rail to
capture Saturday’s Grade 2, $336,900
Churchill Distaff Turf Mile, the opening stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
Jockey Javier Castellano guided the Brian Lynch pupil around the firm turf at
Churchill Downs, and the pair finished up in 1:34 3/5 as the 5-1 third choice to
pay $13.80 for the win.

I’m Already Sexy tried to lead all the way home, setting opening splits of
:24, :46 4/5 and 1:10 2/5. Coffee Clique bided her time in fourth, running in
the two path down the backstretch before angling over to the rail. The Medaglia
d’Oro miss skimmed the hedge to get up and deny 36-1 longshot Dame Marie, who
emerged from the pack to take over in late stretch.

“I saw the way two or three horses have the speed in the race. I wanted to
just stay off the pace a little bit,” Castellano explained his ride. “My horse
is very brave. Turning for home, she split horses and kept on the rail. I saved
all the ground. The most important thing on the grass is to save some ground and
I think it paid off today.”

“I thought she settled lovely,” Lynch noted. “It was a good decision on the
first turn to take back a bit. (Castellano) said she was game down on the inside
the last part of it and he didn’t really have to get after her. He could feel
she was getting into a rhythm.

“We’ll be taking her up to Canada this summer for the grass program up there.
This spring she has really come to herself.”

Coffee Clique is likely to ship back to Woodbine for her summer campaign (Jim Tyrrell/Horsephotos.com)

Centre Court, the 7-5 favorite, came next after running in the rear on the
backstretch and was followed by I’m Already Sexy, Miz Ida, Tapicat and Absolute
Crackers.

“She missed a little bit at the start. It’s not really an excuse,” explained
Julien Leparoux, who had piloting duties aboard Centre Court. “She always did
get out, but around the turn today, she was just getting out pretty bad, both
turns, and I kept losing ground because of that. I lost two or three lengths
each turn and it costs us.”

Coffee Clique opened her four-year-old season with a head victory in a March
26 optional claimer at Gulfstream Park. That was the bay filly’s first start
since finishing third in Woodbine’s Ontario Colleen last August 17, and she also
ran fourth in the Dance Smarty and posted a four-length triumph in the Selene at
that Toronto venue last year.

Coffee Clique began her career as a juvenile at Woodbine, taking her maiden
debut, before shipping to Gulfstream Park to kick off her sophomore campaign.
While in Florida the filly ran fourth in the Herecomesthebride and third in the
Secret Grace, though she was elevated to second in that latter event due to the
disqualification of another rival.