Bramble Queen fends off Summer Day in Mike Spellman Memorial
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
Scratched from the Grade 1 Beverly D. on Saturday at Arlington, Bramble Queen found a much easier spot, the $64,922 Mike Spellman Memorial for Illinois-breds, but she still had to work a bit to get home by a half-length over Summer Day.
Racing second-last entering the Spellman’s first turn, Bramble Queen made an early move under leading rider Jareth Loveberry, who took his mount to the outside and let her run all the way to come alongside pacesetting Northern Alliance before the far turn. Loveberry had correctly felt the Spellman pace slowing, the half-mile going in a tepid 49.68, and being on the best horse in the race, Loveberry took the fight to his foes. He asked Bramble Queen to run to the lead at the top of the stretch, where the 6-year-old mare opened a lead of several lengths before perhaps losing her focus.
Summer Day made a late bid and closed ground on the winner, but Bramble Queen turned her away, winning by about a half-length, and widened her advantage on the gallop out. Launch Away finished a distant third.
Winning trainer Mike Dini used to have a summer barn at Arlington, but several years ago shifted his base of operations to the East Coast and now spends the summer at Monmouth Park. Bramble Queen’s owner, Alan Lustig’s Ballybrit Stable, still has some Illinois-breds, and this was the mare’s second trip from New Jersey to Illinois this summer, the first yielding a third-place finish last month in the Grade 3 Modesty Stakes.
Bramble Queen, winning for the 10th time in 34 starts, is by Silent Name out of Regal Rose, by Empire Maker. She was timed in 1:44.70 for 1 1/16 miles on firm going and paid $2.80 and got an 87 Beyer Speed Figure.
Cammack
Heavily favored Richiesinthehouse outslugged lightly raced Locamotor to win the $63,390 Addison Cammack Stakes.
The top two finishers, separated by a neck at the wire, raced on the front end throughout the Cammack, contested over six furlongs on Polytrack, with Locamotor showing the way and Richiesinthehouse coming up to press him on the turn.
Richiesinhehouse is a seasoned win-machine, the Cammack marking his 17th victory from just 28 career starts, but Locamotor in just his fourth race fought him tooth and nail. An easy front-end winner of his first three races, and getting four pounds from the favorite, Locamotor hung in until the final half-furlong before finally succumbing. Devileye, who loves to finish along the inside of the track, rallied up the fence but never came close to reaching the top two, finishing third, two lengths out of second.
Jareth Loveberry rode the winner for trainer Larry Rivelli and owners Richard Ravin and Vince Foglio’s Patricia’s Hope. Richiesinthehouse, a gelded 7-year-old son of Sidney’s Candy and Streamin Heat, by Bring the Heat, paid $4.60 and was timed in 1:10.41. Richiesinthehouse got a 90 Beyer Speed Figure.
***Get None, in roaring form during the summer of her 5-year-old season, scored a romping front-end win in the $64,147 Isaac Murphy Stakes, her fourth straight victory. Chris Emigh rode the winner for trainer Hugo Rodriguez and owner Hermillo Racing Stable, who claimed Get None for just $7,500 last November. Get None, by Biondetti out of Lost None, by Royal Academy, ran six furlongs on Polytrack in 1:11.67 and paid $5.80. Jolina, the 4-5 favorite, finished second, 5 1/2 lengths behind the winner.