Coach Rocks catches Take Charge Paula, wins Gulfstream Park Oaks

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The trip may not have gone quite the way trainer Dale Romans drew it up on the chalkboard, but in the end it didn’t matter as Coach Rocks rallied to run down Take Charge Paula and register a 1 1/2-length victory Saturday in the $300,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks.

The race was the co-feature on Saturday’s 14-race Florida Derby Day program at Gulfstream Park.

After registering a wire-to-wire, eight-length maiden victory in her previous start and showing big speed in the morning in her subsequent works, it seemed likely Coach Rocks would either be on or with the early pace breaking near the inside in the 1 1/16-mile Oaks.

Instead, the rapidly improving filly found herself shuffled back to seventh position a quarter-mile into the race and well off a swift early pace set by the previously undefeated Eight Thirtyone.

Jockey Luis Saez had to steady Coach Rocks briefly near the inside leaving the half-mile marker, then angled her out for clearance on the second bend. Coach Rocks accelerated suddenly midway on the turn, came well wide while continuing her bid entering the stretch before collaring the tiring Take Charge Paula inside the sixteenth marker to win going away.

Take Charge Paula, sent postward as the 2-1 favorite in a scratch-reduced field of 11 3-year-old fillies, raced forwardly from the outset, was sharply roused to strike the front leaving the quarter pole, edged clear at the top of the stretch but proved no match for the winner.

It was another 10 lengths farther back to Princess Warrior, who finished a distant third.

Coach Rocks, a daughter of Oxbow who needed seven starts before finally breaking her maiden Feb. 16. is owned in partnership by Rick Pitino’s RAP Racing, Roddy Valente, and West Point Thoroughbreds. She covered the distance in 1:44.63 over a fast track and paid $7.60.

“Good horses overcome bad trips and win big races,” Romans said. “I didn’t expect her to be that far back, but I didn’t expect the rider on the one horse (Eight Thirtyone) to go to the whip like that right out of the gate. She dropped down and saved ground. It looked like Luis (Saez) got stopped a little bit on the backside. He had to go around, but it all worked out. When she swung out and found her rhythm, I thought she would grind them down because I knew she was fit and distance wasn’t an issue.”

Romans said he always felt Coach Rocks was a quality filly.
“Every time I’ve brought her over there I thought she would win,” Romans said. “It just took her a while to figure out how good she is.”

Romans said Coach Rocks would ship to his barn at Churchill Downs on Sunday to prepare for the Kentucky Oaks on March 4.