Kentucky Downs brought back the three turf stakes from Sunday’s washed-out program on Tuesday.
Ladies Marathon (G3)
A multiple stakes winner last year, Adventuring has come back strong at age four, authoritatively leading wire-to-wire in the $550,000 Ladies Marathon (G3). It was her second stakes win from as many starts this season.
Brad Cox trains the Godolphin homebred daughter of Pioneerof the Nile, and Adventuring improved her overall record to 12-5-1-3. Joel Rosario was up on the bay frontrunner, who established fractions in :25.38, :49.90, and 1:14.24 before finishing up the 1 5/16-mile distance in 2:08.28 over the firm course.
“We had a perfect trip,” Rosario said. “The filly did the work. You can see the way she runs, if someone challenges her, she keeps moving forward. Pretty good. It looked like she could have gone around gone. She gets very competitive when she gets the lead. She keeps galloping and galloping. She looked like she was really relaxed.”
Adventuring won by 1 1/2 lengths as the 2.90-1 second choice among nine fillies and mares.
Family Way, an odds-on favorite following a runner-up in the New York (G1) and a third in the Beverly D. (G1), tried in vain to catch the winner in deep stretch, but had to settle for second, a neck better than Luck Money in third. Stand Tall, Viburnum, Oliviaofthedesert, Flippant, Disappearing Act, and Core Values rounded out the finish.
Out of the English-bred Hard Spun mare Questing, the champion three-year-old filly of 2012, Kentucky-bred Adventuring was exiting a romping win in the off-the-turf West Virginia President’s Cup S. at Mountaineer on Aug. 6, her first start since December.
She earned her stakes success in the Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park, and Adventuring captured the Dueling Grounds Oaks at Kentucky Downs last fall.
Music City S.
Freedom Speaks ran down Happy Soul in the $500,000 Music City S., earning her first stakes victory with a head decision. The 5.28-1 second choice among 12 three-year-old fillies, the gray daughter of American Freedom finished up 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.35 with Jose Lezcano.
Conditioned by Jeremiah Englehart, who took over training duties after her second start, Freedom Speaks improved her record to 4-3-1-0 for owner Carol A. Reitman.
It was a tough beat for Happy Soul, who was off at 15.49-1 with Irad Ortiz Jr. and led the way on a clear advantage through opening splits of :21.63 and :44.78. The pacesetter was still clear entering deep stretch, but Freedom Speaks kicked boldly for home in the final furlong to narrowly prove best.
It was about two lengths back to late-running Oeuvre in third, and next came Static Fire, Poppy Flower, Bubble Rock, Dreamworker, Glenall, Sister Lou Ann, Have a Good Day, Majestic d’Oro, and Sunday Grace.
A six-length debut winner over Gulfstream’s Tapeta track in mid-May, Freedom Speaks finished second in the Game Face S. over Gulfstream’s main track a month later. She rallied from just off the pace to win going away in her first start for Englehart, an entry-level allowance at Saratoga on Aug. 19.
Freedom Speaks, a $145,000 OBS January two-year-old, was bred in Kentucky by Hartmut H. Malluche and Silesia Farm, and she’s out of the Macho Uno mare Wicked Speed, a half-sister to Canadian Horse of the Year and champion sprinter Fatal Bullet.
Untapable S.
Danse Macabre gamely withstood the late charge of 1.17-1 favorite Alluring Angel in the $500,000 Untapable S., scoring by a nose in the 6 1/2-furlong event. Adam Beschizza was up for Kelsey Danner on the 9-5 second choice among six juvenile fillies, and Danse Macabre stopped the teletimer in 1:16.92.
Numero Seis showed the way on a clear lead at nearly 12-1. Danse Macabre stalked in third before advancing into contention on the far turn, and when the pacesetter gave way approaching deep stretch, she took a short lead between rivals. Alluring Angel came rallying into contention on the far outside, and loomed a serious threat in the latter stages, but Danse Macabre kept finding more to prevail.
By Army Mule, Kentucky-bred Danse Macabre was exiting a runner-up in her stakes debut, the Aug. 21 Bolton Landing at Saratoga. The $55,000 OBS March two-year-old purchase broke her maiden when switching to turf the second time out at Colonial Downs two starts previously, and the chestnut miss is campaigned by NBS Stable and Elements Racing.
Alluring Angel was three lengths clear of Numero Seis on the wire, and Tiki Bar, Recinto Rompere, and All the Envy completed the order.
