Botanical easy winner of Cincinnati Trophy
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
Botanical, who blossomed this season at Turfway Park, was a handy winner of the $150,000 Cincinnati Trophy on Saturday night at the Florence, Ky., track, giving trainer Brad Cox’s flourishing barn another stakes winner in this division.
The Cincinnati Trophy, a one-mile race for 3-year-old fillies, awarded Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to its top finishers, led by favored Botanical ($3.90), on a 20-8-6-4-2 scale. The race is the local prep for the $300,000 Bourbonette Oaks on Turfway's marquee March 25 card. That 1 1/16-mile race will award points on a 50-20-15-10-5 basis.
Cox, who has won two editions of the Kentucky Oaks with Monomoy Girl (2018) and Shedaresthedevil (2020), currently trains the top two fillies on the Oaks points leaderboard with last weekend’s Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes winner Wet Paint and Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes winner Pretty Mischievous.
Botanical, a Medaglia d'Oro filly who races for LNJ Foxwoods and co-breeder Clearsky Farms, made her first two starts on turf, with her best effort a runner-up finish in October at Keeneland. She then moved to Turfway’s Tapeta track, and immediately expressed her affinity for the surface with a 10 3/4-length maiden score on opening day, Nov. 30. She followed up with a 4 1/2-length allowance-optional claiming win in January.
In both of her wins, Botanical raced on the lead, but she and Chris Landeros employed different tactics on Saturday. B G Warrior, winner of the Valdale Stakes sprinting locally in February, was again away sharply and was extremely keen in the early stages, pulling David Haldar to a 4 1/2-length lead through an opening half of 45.69 seconds, with her rider's feet well out in front of him as he attempted to hold the leader in.
Meanwhile, Botanical raced comfortably in third through that opening half, then launched her bid into the far turn. She quickly reeled in B G Warrior, then poked her head in front on the outside as the pacesetter began to shorten stride while drifting out a bit. From there, Botanical took command when urged by Landeros and widened her margin as she pleased to win by 6 1/2 lengths. She finished the mile in 1:36.51.
Jill Jitterbug rallied to be a clear second, 2 1/4 lengths clear of the fading B G Warrior. They were followed by Bulsara, Miss Peabody, Fun and Feisty, and Moon Magic Chrissy.
Botanical and Fun and Feisty - winner of the Grade 3 Pocahontas Stakes last fall at Churchill Downs, but not a factor while making her sophomore debut on this synthetic surface - were the only fillies in the field who were made eligible for the Kentucky Oaks when the early nomination period closed on Feb. 18. The other fillies who finished in points-scoring positions in the Cincinnati Trophy can still become eligible in the late nomination period, with a fee of $1,500 due by April 15. At that point, their points would be available retroactively.
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