Bleecker Street uses fast finish to win Modesty Stakes and remain unbeaten

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Trainer Chad Brown said, “It’s really hard to start your career off 5 for 5, especially on turf,” prior to sending out the undefeated Bleecker Street in Friday’s $250,000 Modesty Stakes at Churchill Downs.

It’s even harder to start off 6 for 6, especially when you’re running last behind a slow pace, as Bleecker Street did during the opening six furlongs of the 1 1/8-mile Modesty. But Bleecker Street was able to overcome the trip and kept her record perfect by rallying to a half-length victory over stablemate Fluffy Socks in the Grade 3 turf stakes for older fillies and mares.

Bleecker Street came into the Modesty off an eight-week freshening following back-to-back victories in the Grade 3 Endeavour and Grade 2 Hillsborough this past winter at Tampa Bay Downs. She had rallied from near the rear of the field in all five of her previous wins, but never from last, where she was early on after breaking a step slowly under jockey Flavien Prat in the Modesty.

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Mona Stella set a relatively slow pace, going an opening half in 50.31 seconds and six furlongs in 1:14.55 over the firm course. Bleecker Street had only Pass the Plate behind her as the field approached the stretch, at which point Prat swung her out wide to commence her bid. Bleecker Street angled back in some while continuing her rally through midstretch, split the leaders a sixteenth out, then surged late to overtake Fluffy Socks and Hendy Woods nearing the wire.

Fluffy Socks, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., also raced at the rear of the field during the early going, advanced wide on the final turn, briefly stuck her head in front near midstretch, but proved no match for the winner in the final 70 yards. Hendy Woods joined Fluffy Socks for command at the eighth pole before succumbing grudgingly to finish another half-length farther back in third.

Bleecker Street is a 4-year-old daughter of Quality Road owned by Peter Brant. She completed the distance in 1:50.10 and paid $4.

“She’s a remarkable talent,” Brown said of Bleecker Street. “Considering she’s so trip dependent, course dependent and pace dependent, to be undefeated, 6 for 6, she’s sure hard to fault.”

Brown admitted to some anxious moments for both his horses during the early running of the Modesty.

“With both my horses back there off that pace, I was worried down the backside,” Brown said. “Then Irad was able to extract himself off the fence and move up a couple of spots and I saw Flavien zero right in behind Irad, so I said if the closers are going to come, Bleecker Street is going to have a clear path with Fluffy Socks just in front of her. And then it would be down to what we thought it would be, a one-two race between the two of them.”

Brown said the result of the Modesty confirms his feeling that there is little to choose between both fillies.

“Bleecker Street ran amazingly well, but Fluffy Socks was coming back on three weeks’ rest off a wide trip at Keeneland, so I think these fillies are pretty close,” Brown said.