Dynamic Pricing runs down Way to Be Marie a second time to take the Edgewood

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Last November, Dynamic Pricing ran down Way to Be Marie and won a maiden turf race at Aqueduct. With much more at stake, the same thing happened Friday at Churchill Downs, where Dynamic Pricing tagged Way to Be Marie three strides before the finish and won the Grade 2, $600,000 Edgewood by a half-length.

Chad Brown filled a hole in his résumé - there are not many - winning the Edgewood for the first time, but not with the horse most expected. Hard to Justify, the 2-1 favorite, pressed what appeared to be a strong pace but was cooked before the three-sixteenths pole, finishing ninth of 11 with no apparent excuse in this turf mile for 3-year-old fillies.

Hard to Justify had won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in her most recent race, and Dynamic Pricing had been seventh March 9 in the Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs, which helped produce an unusually robust $19.82 win mutual on a Brown-trained, Irad Ortiz Jr.-ridden, Klaravich Stable-owned turf filly.

“I don’t know why she didn’t like the turf over at Tampa,” Brown said. “She was quite far back and just wasn’t herself going down the backside, and I wasn’t quite sure why. Her first two races were good.”

The first of those two was the Aqueduct maiden, where Dynamic Pricing tracked pacesetting Way to Be Marie and reeled her in to win by a nose. Dynamic Pricing came back with a close third Feb. 3 in the Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream Park before taking a step back at Tampa.

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Breaking from post 10 Friday, she got a great trip – and a strong pace at which to run – under Ortiz, who might have provided the winning margin when he was able to tuck Dynamic Pricing into the No. 2 path and get some cover midway around the first bend.

Way to Be Marie was not so fortunate, getting stuck out three wide with no cover after leaving from post 11. Florent Geroux had Way to Be Marie in the clear, tracking longshot Maxisuperfly, who led Hard to Justify through a posted opening quarter-mile in 22.96 over a yielding course. The pace, according to official timing, then slowed radically, the second quarter going in 24.94 for a half-mile split of 47.90.

“I looked at the board down the backside and was surprised,” Geroux said. “We slowed it down pretty good on the backside.”

As Hard to Justify struggled, 38-1 Maxisuperfly staying on much better than she, Way to Be Marie forged to the lead at the furlong grounds. She took a lead of about 1 1/2 lengths over Dynamic Pricing to the sixteenth pole but could not hold it.

Dancing N Dixie ran her standard race, rallying from last to come close and not win, checking in third, one length behind Way to Be Marie. Buchu, the strong second choice at 5-2, ran flat from mid-pack and finished sixth. The winning time was 1:44.10.

Dynamic Pricing earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

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Bred in Ireland, Dynamic Pricing is by Night of Thunder out of Shemda, by Dutch Art, and there is not much of her.

“She’s a very light-framed horse but has a really good turn of foot,” Brown said. “I always had high hopes for this filly.”

Friday, some of them were realized.

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