Thanksgiving Day stakes action at Churchill Downs featured dominant performances by Xigera and Star Fortress.
Xigera recorded her third consecutive stakes win on the main track, rolling to a 6 1/2-length decision in the $400,000 Falls City (G3). Julien Leparoux was up on the 0.15-1 favorite for Richard Rigney and Phil Bauer, and three-year-old filly turned 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.75.
After making six of her first seven starts on turf, Xigera has certainly found her calling. She switched back to dirt with a 6 1/4-length victory in the Seneca Overnight S. at Churchill Downs in late September, and the daughter of Nyquist was exiting a 3 1/2-length score in the Mother Goose (G2) at Aqueduct on Oct. 28.
“She’s a special type of horse which makes our job easy,” Bauer said. “You hang a bridle on her and she knows what she needs to do. I’m so fortunate to be in the position I am with a great stable and owner. At the time we thought grass was her preferred surface as a two-year-old, but she’s proven us wrong. She has such a quick turn of foot which makes her so dynamic.”
Bred in Kentucky by Cedar Hill, Xigera improved her career mark to 10-6-1-1.
“We’ve always loved her since she was a two-year-old,” Leparoux said. “May have made a mistake keeping her in the grass as long as we have but she’s had a great year overall. She’s going to be even better next year. I think she’s a very exciting horse.”
Music Street, the second-longest shot at 49-1 among eight fillies and mares, edged 52-1 Jag Warrior by a head for second. It was another nose to Misty Veil in fourth, and Shezz Koldazice, Skratch Kat, Bellamore, and Distinctlypossible followed.
One race earlier, Star Fortress made a smashing U.S. debut in the $267,500 Cardinal (G3), rallying to win going away by 10 lengths in the 1 1/8-mile turf affair for distaffers. The four-year-old filly made her first start for Cherie DeVaux, and Luis Saez was up on the gray late runner.
“She was training very well coming into this race and she won very impressively today,” DeVaux said. “We’re not sure where we’ll go next with her. Our plan was to get her to this race and focused on that.”
Star Fortress earned her first stakes victory in eight career starts, making her first appearance since a third in the Fillies S. at Newmarket in late July, and the English import improved her record to 8-2-1-2. She bided her time in last before launching a wide move into the stretch to seize command.
“The plan worked out how we drew it up,” Saez said. “We let the speed go and saved ground. Around the turn we swung out and just really exploded down the stretch.”
An Irish-bred daughter of Sea the Stars, Star Fortress is campaigned by John Gunther and Tanya Gunther’s Eurowest Bloodstock Services. She left the starting gate as the 6.34-1 fifth choice among six runner.
Next came 1.98-1 favorite Saffron Moon, Lovely Princess, Juncture, Walkathon, and Joyful Applause.
