Bentley L. Smith’s homebred LADY JOANNE (Orientate) made her stakes debut in
the Pocahontas S. (G3) last out, running third, but broke through on Saturday
with her first black-type victory when taking the
$224,600
Golden
Rod S. (G2) at Churchill Downs under John McKee. The Carl Nafzger-trained
juvenile miss battled it out with Change Up (Distorted Humor) while in between
horses, trading front-running duties through splits of :48 1/5, 1:12
2/5 and 1:37 3/5, before finishing 8 1/2 furlongs on the fast dirt in 1:44.
“She was ready to go today,” McKee said. “There was no pace in this race and
she just kind of (dragged) me around there. Turning for home she gave me that
extra push that I needed.”
Sent off at 3-1, Lady Joanne paid $8, $3 and $2.60 while starting exotic
payouts of $14.20 (exacta), $55.40 (trifecta) and $169.80 (3-5-1-9 superfecta).
Change Up temporarily regained her advantage in the stretch but couldn’t keep up with the winner at the end,
returning $2.40 and $2.20 as the 3-5 favorite. It was another two lengths back
to High Heels (E Dubai), who was worth $4 at 10-1, and next came Cohiba Miss
(Cat Thief), Wellofaprize (Pure Prize), Pro Pink (Touch Gold), Lady Corredor (El
Corredor), Time’s Mistress (Mr. Greeley) and Littlebitabling (Carson City).
Stellas New Groove (Victory Gallop) was withdrawn.
“It’s great, isn’t it?” said Ian Wilkes, who saddled Lady Joanne for his
former mentor Nafzger. “The timing was right, and it worked out. We’re taking
her to Florida, to Palm Meadows. We may look at some races at Gulfstream.”
Lady Joanne broke her maiden by 6 1/2 lengths in October on Keeneland’s
Polytrack after missing in her career debut at Turfway Park. She came with a
late rally in the Pocahontas and changed tactics on Saturday to garner her first
stakes win, improving her mark to 4-2-0-2 with $178,101 in lifetime earnings.
The Kentucky-bred miss is out of the stakes-placed Oatsee (Unbridled), making
her a half-sister to multiple Grade 3 victress Baghdaria (Royal Academy) and an
unnamed weanling filly by Langfuhr as well as a full sister to the yearling
filly Haysee.
As for Lady Joanne’s future, anything is possible, including a tilt in the
Kentucky Oaks (G1).
“That would be nice, wouldn’t it,” Wilkes mused. “That’s a long way away,
though, and we’ve got a long way to go. We’re going to enjoy this one for the
time being.”