Godolphin Stable’s MUSIC NOTE (A.P. Indy) continued her return to form on
Saturday with an easy 2 1/4-length victory in the $588,000
Beldame
S. (G1) at Belmont Park. The Saeed bin Suroor charge was making only her
third start of the season in the 1 1/8-mile test, and easily overhauled 5-2
second favorite Unbridled Belle (Broken Vow) to finish up 1 1/8 miles on the
fast main track in 1:48 2/5.
“She was really happy, relaxed, in condition,” bin Suroor said. “She showed
her good turn of foot. I was waiting for him to take her outside. When he did, I
was happy. We’ll take her to the Breeders’ Cup. Nine furlongs (in the Ladies’
Classic [G1]) will suit her. She looked better than ever.”
Sent off the 1-5 favorite in the five-horse field, Music Note paid $2.50 and
$2.10 after show wagering was canceled. Unbridled Belle gave back $2.10 while
ending the $3.70 exacta.
Captain’s Lover (SAf) (Captain Al) was quickest from the gate, but yielded to
her entrymate Unbridled Belle through the opening half-mile in :23 1/5 and :47
4/5. Music Note was traveling easily under jockey Rajiv Maragh just behind the
leader and to the inside of Captain’s Lover. As the latter began tiring nearing
the turn, Maragh eased Music Note to the outside of Unbridled Belle, who
maintained the advantage through three-quarters in 1:11 3/5. The two game
runners entered the stretch in tandem, but Music Note would not be denied,
drawing off through a mile in 1:35 4/5 to add a fifth Grade 1 to her already
impressive resume.
“I was comfortable because I didn’t want to go too early,” Maragh explained.
“I wanted to get my filly to relax. Once I was behind the horses, she was
getting into a nice, high cruising speed. I was pretty happy. I knew they were
going to spread out at some point in the race. Once they did, that’s when I made
a move to get clear. There was a lot of racetrack left by the time I got open.”
Copper State (Jump Start) finished 9 1/4 lengths behind Unbridled Belle in
third, with Captain’s Lover fading to fourth by another 13 3/4 lengths. With
Flying Colors (A.P. Indy) trailed throughout in fifth and filled that spot on
the wire.
Music Note began her career as a Darley runner, finishing fourth in her debut
prior to breaking her maiden at Aqueduct by 7 1/4 lengths for trainer Tom
Albertrani. She was subsequently moved up to Godolphin’s operation and sent to
bin Suroor’s barn. Making her 2008 debut in the royal blue silks, Music Note
continued to improve, recording a seven-length allowance victory at Belmont,
which was followed by a 3 1/2-length score in the Mother Goose S. (G1) and an
11-length romp in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1). The talented lass then
suffered a tough defeat when second by a head to champion Proud Spell in the
Alabama S. (G1), but she quickly rebounded with a dominating 8 1/2-length win in
the Gazelle S. (G1).
Music Note concluded her sophomore season with a game third in the Breeders’
Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1), providing further hope for a stellar 2009 campaign.
However, the filly didn’t make her four-year-old bow until the June 13 Ogden
Phipps H. (G1), and she finished a dull fifth while going 8 1/2 furlongs. Given
a short break following that performance, she came back firing on all cylinders
in Saratoga’s Ballerina S. (G1) on August 29, dominating that seven-furlong
event by 5 1/4 lengths. The bay lass continued her winning ways in this one, and
boosted her earnings to $1,417,000 with the Beldame winner’s share to go along
with a 11-7-1-1 career mark.
Bred in Kentucky by Gainsborough Farm, Music Note is out of the unraced Note
Musicale (GB) (Sadler’s Wells), making her a half-sister to 2003 French One
Thousand Guineas (Fr-G1) and 2004 John C. Mabee H. (G1) heroine Musical Chimes
(In Excess [Ire]). Note Musicale is herself a daughter of 1978 champion
two-year-old filly It’s in the Air (Mr. Prospector), who captured back-to-back
runnings of the Vanity H. (G1) as well as the Ruffian H. (G1), Alabama and
Delaware Oaks (G1) during her career.
It’s in the Air also produced Group 2 victress Bitooh (GB) (Seattle Slew);
Group 3-placed Sous Entendu (Shadeed), who is the dam of this year’s First
Flight H. (G2) winner Porte Bonheur (Hennessy) and Group 2 hero Slip Stream
(Irish River [Fr]); and Try to Catch Me (Shareef Dancer), herself the dam of
multiple Grade/Group 1 king Storming Home (GB) (Machiavellian).