Eskimo Kisses rallies to authoritative Alabama score

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – To trainer Ken McPeek, everything was aligned for Eskimo Kisses to be successful in Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama Stakes if she was good enough.

She was. By plenty.

Sitting last for the opening six furlongs of the race under Jose Ortiz, Eskimo Kisses launched her bid at the half-mile pole and rallied past all seven rivals by midstretch and drew off to an authoritative 6 1/2-length victory in the Alabama at Saratoga.

In a three-way battle for the minor awards, She’s a Julie got second by a neck over 6-5 favorite Midnight Bisou, who was third by a neck over Talk Veuve to Me.

Coach Rocks was fifth, followed by Piedi Bianchi, Auspicious Babe, and Figarella’s Queen.

It was the first graded stakes victory for Eskimo Kisses, a daughter of To Honor and Serve, who had finished second in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks and Grade 1 Ashland, and fourth in the Kentucky Oaks and Coaching Club American Oaks, also Grade 1 races. The last three losses were all to Monomoy Girl, the clear leader of the 3-year-old filly division who skipped the Alabama to await the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion at Parx on Sept. 22.

“I’m glad she didn’t show up today,” McPeek said of Monomoy Girl.

Eskimo Kisses certainly did. McPeek just needed a few things to go in his favor, primarily a strong pace. There was that as Talk Veueve to Me, under Julien Leparoux, went for the lead and had to run a quarter in 22.52 seconds and a half-mile in 46.79 to get it, with She’s a Julie in pursuit and the trio of Piedi Bianchi, Coach Rocks, and Figarella’s Queen in the third flight. Midnight Bisou, under Mike Smith, was sixth early on.

As per instructions, Jose Ortiz had Eskimo Kisses last, about 12 lengths off the early pace.

Talk Veuve to Me, after running a mile in 1:37.90, still had the lead turning for home. But Midnight Bisou and Eskimo Kisses launched their bids at the half-mile pole, with the former going three wide and the latter following.

Ortiz saw that Smith was struggling, so after going around a tiring Coach Rocks, he dove Eskimo Kisses back to the inside turning for home. Eskimo Kisses split Talk Veuve to Me and She’s a Julie at the three-sixteenths pole, took over just before the eighth pole, and cruised home an easy winner.

Eskimo Kisses, a daughter of To Honor and Serve owned by Antony Beck’s Gainesway Farm, Harold Lerner, Andrew Rosen, and Nehoc Stables, covered the 1 1/4 miles in 2:03.22 and returned $20 as the fourth choice in the eight-horse field.

“She’s a big, late-running type, she’s a filly that likes a little heavier going, and I think it was that today and she wanted a mile and a quarter,” McPeek said. “Everything fell our way.”

For Ortiz, it was his second straight victory in the Alabama having won it last year with Elate. He was riding Eskimo Kisses for the first time.

Ortiz said he followed McPeek’s instructions to wait until the half-mile pole to move. He then made the decision turning for home to go to the inside as opposed to trying to rally outside of Midnight Bisou.

“When we hit the three-eighths pole I could have moved outside of Midnight Bisou, but I saw that Mike was getting into her and didn’t respond the way he wanted to, so I decided to cut the corner and I’m glad it worked out,” Ortiz said.

She’s a Julie, who was second early under Ricardo Santana Jr., was fourth at the eighth pole. But Midnight Bisou and Talk Veuve to me were tiring in the final furlong and she was able to get second.

Mike Smith, the rider of Midnight Bisou, who had won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks and Grade 2 Mother Goose earlier this year, believes his filly doesn’t like Saratoga.

“She moves over Belmont so much better than she moves over this ground,” Smith said. “I said it the first time and I said it even more this time to [trainer Steve Asmussen].”

These fillies will likely scatter from here with opportunities for 3-year-old fillies going long becoming slim, unless one wants to chase Monomoy Girl in the Cotillion, run at 1 1/16 miles.

McPeek would like to keep Eskimo Kisses at 1 1/8 miles or farther and didn’t discount taking a shot at the boys in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at 1 1/4 miles at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3.

“If our filly’s doing well, absolutely,” McPeek said. “If it’s a circumstance where the race sets up well, absolutely.”