Woodbine: Just Got In hangs on by neck in My Dear

Michael Burns

Just Got In, ridden by Christopher Griffith, outlasts Lake Dancer in the My Dear for 2-year-old fillies.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Just Got In dueled through quick fractions with the invading JuJu Eyeballs and just lasted for a neck victory in Sunday’s $156,000 My Dear Stakes at Woodbine.

Just Got In, who had been a 7 1/4-length winner in his debut at 4 1/2 furlongs on June 1, broke alertly from her outside post in the field of seven 2-year-old fillies and was quickly joined by JuJu Eyeballs.

The two dueled through a quarter mile in 21.78 seconds  and a half in 45.10 with Just Got in always appearing to have the upper hand and finally putting away JuJu Eyeballs with a sixteenth of a mile to run in the five-furlong sprint.

“To be honest, it felt like we were going too fast,” said Christopher Griffth, who rode Just Got In for his brother, trainer Ricky Griffith.

“I was trying to get my filly to relax, but she just wasn’t having any part of it. She was tiring at the end, but she kept fighting to the wire.”

Lake Dancer, on the outside, and Evangeline’s Hope, on the inside, were flying at Just Got In through the closing yards but had to settle for second and third money, a half-length apart.

JuJu Eyeballs ended another  three-quarters of a length  back in fourth and was followed by Shi Shi Foo Foo, Aberfoyle Mill, and Rutherford Road.

Just Got In, who was timed in  59.11, returned $3.70 and earned $90,000 to bring her earnings to $122,540 for the Deb Mar Stable of Glenn Harvey and Steve Duffield.