Curalina guts out stakes debut win in Acorn

Curalina (outside) ran down By the Moon to prove best in her stakes debut (Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos) Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Curalina (Curlin) was trying stakes rivals for the first time in Saturday’s $750,000 Acorn S. (G1) at Belmont Park and just got the neck win over proven Grade 1 scorer By the Moon (Indian Charlie) after a tenacious rally in the lane. “She’s a filly we’d had high hopes for for a long time,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “We felt like she was one of our best two-year-old fillies last year. Unfortunately she had some baby stuff that she needed some time off for. She came back and ran impressively in both starts, (and) we came here with the Acorn in mind and then she made it an easy decision by how well she trained. “I’ll talk to Aron Wellman at Eclipse (Thoroughbred Partners) — I doubt we’d want to run back in the ($300,000) Mother Goose (G1) in three weeks (on June 27), but we won’t rule it out. (The $300,000) Coaching Club (American Oaks [G1] at Saratoga on July 26) would make a lot of sense.” The undefeated Miss Ella (Exchange Rate) moved to the fore to take command following a rough break for the 12-strong field, but was quickly overtaken by fellow unbeaten Promise Me Silver (Silver City) to her outside. That latter filly set the pace through splits of :22 4/5 and :45 2/5 with Miss Ella never backing down to her inside.

By the Moon was stalking in third just behind Promise Me Silver and went
around that rival circling the turn. The dark bay miss had firm control up front
in the stretch, but Curalina, who was bumped hard from both sides at the start, was closing fast under John Velazquez after sitting
in midpack early on. Curalina kept motoring and just got the best of her rival to
finish a mile on the fast main track in 1:35.

“She got a horrible start. She got sandwiched from both
sides. I thought she lost all chance right there,” Pletcher admitted. “If you watch the head on
replay, it was a pretty remarkable effort.”

“She got squeezed badly out of the starting gate,” Velazquez agreed. “We
ended up far back, I put her in the clear and she got a little bit rank on the
backstretch. I let her do a little bit and tried to settle her on the turn,
which she did, and she finished up well.”

Curalina paid $16.40 as the 7-1 fourth choice, while By the Moon was sent off
at 30-1 and Wonder Gal (Tiz Wonderful), who finished another three parts of a
length back in third, was 16-1.

Despite the tough beat, trainer Michelle Nevin was happy with By the Moon’s
effort.

“I’m extremely happy. She ran a huge race. I couldn’t have asked for any
more,” Nevin stated. “It’s unfortunate we couldn’t hang on for the win, but I
have nothing to complain about.”

“She broke perfect and I had a perfect trip. I think we just ran huge,” said
By the Moon’s jockey, Jose Ortiz. “I just chirped and she was ready. She gave
100 percent. She got a perfect trip over the surface, but she brought it.”

Shook Up (Tapit) had a horrible trip, breaking awkwardly and stumbling after
nearly clipping heels with Light the City (Street Sense). Jockey Robby Albarado
lost his irons momentarily and seemed to just protect the filly turning for
home, easing her under the wire before she was vanned off after the finish.

Curalina is now 4-3-1-0 having banked $486,800 in her career thus far. The
sophomore filly began her career last July at Saratoga, suffering her only loss
to date when second on that occasion, but has now gone three-for-three in 2015
after breaking her maiden on March 28 at Gulfstream Park and taking an
allowance/optional claimer by 8 1/4 lengths on the Kentucky Oaks (G1) undercard
at Churchill Downs last out.

Bred in Kentucky by CASA Farms I LLC, Curalina was purchased for $125,000 as
a Keeneland September yearling. The chestnut miss is out of Grade 2-placed
Whatdreamsrmadeof (Graeme Hall), making her a half-sister to last year’s Iowa
Oaks (G3) third-placer Dream Spinner (Hard Spun). Whatdreamsrmadeof is herself a
half-sister to Grade 2-placed stakes vixen Ladyecho (Alphabet Soup). This
black-type rich female family also boasts Canadian Horse of the Year Uncaptured
(Lion Heart).

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