Riposte relishes added ground in Sheepshead Bay

Riposte has a pretty famous nephew by the name of Frankel (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) Juddmonte Farms’ homebred Riposte had been competing over shorter than ideal trips in her first three U.S. starts, but when finally stepping up to 1 3/8 miles in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay at Belmont Park, she found the right spot to showcase her class. Under a masterful ride by Joel Rosario, the Bill Mott filly dictated a slow tempo on the yielding inner turf and drew off. Riposte, who was winning for the first time since last summer’s Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot, continued the spate of success for the tremendous family of Frankel. She is a three-quarter sister to Kind, dam of the unconquerable Frankel. Kind remains in the news thanks to two other foals — Frankel’s full brother Noble Mission, the front-running conqueror of the April 25 Gordon Richards and the May 8 Huxley who seeks his first Group 1 coup in Sunday’s Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh, and Joyeuse, winner of the Cecil Frail at Haydock earlier on Saturday. Dispatched as the 5-2 third choice here, Riposte glided from her rail post to overtake Fitful Skies in the opening strides. Fitful Skies, the 2-1 favorite, eased back into a stalking spot behind the leader, while Irish Mission moved up to attend the pace. But Riposte was on cruise control through splits of :24 4/5, :51 3/5 and 1:17. Rosario nudged his mount rounding the far turn, and the response was both immediate and decisive. Riposte began to open up on the rest of the field, now headed by Abaco. Although Abaco gave game pursuit down the stretch, the winner was too good by a margin of 1 3/4 lengths. Riposte negotiated 1 3/8 miles on the soggy inner course in 2:18 4/5 to notch her first U.S. victory, and rewarded her loyalists with a $7.20 win payout.

“There wasn’t a lot of speed,” Rosario recapped, “and going a mile and three
eighths and (with) how the track is I wanted to get in position, and she was in
front. I just tried to take my time with her and try to go all the way.”

“I think (her being on the lead) was just the way the race came up,” Mott
said. “I thought (Irish Mission) would show more speed, but the pace didn’t
really develop.”

Abaco pulled 3 3/4 lengths clear of Irish Mission, who appeared finished
turning for home, but regrouped to get up for third. Fitful Skies checked in
fourth, followed by Caroline Thomas and Modernstone. Viva Rafaela was scratched,
along with the main-track-only entrants Belle Gallantey, Flash Forward and Lady
Cohiba.

Riposte now sports a mark of 10-3-3-1, $342,587. Originally trained by the
late Sir Henry Cecil, the daughter of Dansili wasn’t ready to begin her career
until she turned three. Riposte was runner-up in her debut in a 1 1/4-mile
maiden at Sandown last spring, promptly scored next time over 1 1/2 miles at
Newmarket, and stayed at that trip over the summer. She emphatically handled the
rise into Group 2 company for the Ribblesdale, just nine days after the passing
of Sir Henry, and thereby handed Lady Cecil a poignant winner at the Royal
meeting.

Subsequently fifth in the Irish Oaks, but beaten only 1 1/2 lengths by
Chicquita, Riposte ran well below form when fifth in the Yorkshire Oaks. She was
only seventh in the about 1 9/16-mile Prix de Royallieu at Longchamp on Arc
weekend, her European finale.

Riposte made her American premiere for Mott in the February 8 Suwannee River
at Gulfstream Park, where she broke slowly and found herself well off an early
crawl in the 1 1/8-mile event. The bay rattled home belatedly for second,
however, in an encouraging performance. Again lining up in an about nine-furlong
test in the March 8 Hillsborough at Tampa Bay Downs, Riposte once more closed
too late and had to settle for third. Her sights were lowered to an April 11
Keeneland allowance, but still at 1 1/8 miles. Although she got involved earlier
and struck the front, she was outkicked and just denied.

“The first two times she ran,” Mott said of Riposte’s fledgling American
career, “we were going nine furlongs and the fractions were very, very slow. She
found it hard to close into those fractions.

“We’ve got a shot for some of the longer races. She ran in some very
important races over in Europe. She won the Ribblesdale, which is a very good
prep race, and she wasn’t beaten much in the other races.”

Bred in Great Britain, Riposte was produced by Group 3 queen Rainbow Lake.
That Rainbow Quest mare has turned into a blue hen with such offspring as Irish
highweight and millionaire Powerscourt; Group 3 victor Last Train; and the
aforementioned Kind, a Group 3-placed multiple stakes winner herself. Aside from
Frankel, Noble Mission and Joyeuse, Kind is also responsible for Bullet Train,
Frankel’s Group 3-winning three-quarter brother and sometime pacemaker.

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