Everland sneaks up rail to pull off upset in Likely Exchange
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Everland didn’t have the cleanest of trips in Friday night’s $125,000 Likely Exchange Stakes, but she’s become known at Turfway Park for prevailing through adversity.
“She doesn’t mind. This is when she does her best running, when she’s up against it,” track announcer Tony Calo opined as the filly was waiting for room inside horses around the far turn.
Indeed, once set down in a clear path, Everland ($16.88) showed her best form, making a sustained run up the inside to edge Neverwalkalone by half a length in Friday night’s feature for fillies and mares going a mile on the Tapeta.
This was Everland’s first win since taking the Bourbonette Oaks, Turfway’s signature race for 3-year-old fillies, in March 2024. That capped a strong winter campaign in Florence, Ky., for the filly. Trainer Eric Foster claimed her for $30,000 out of her maiden victory in December 2023, in which she recovered from being checked hard on the far turn. Everland went on to win a starter allowance race and finish fourth to loose-leading stablemate Maxisuperfly in the Cincinnati Trophy before prevailing in the Bourbonette Oaks, in which she had to wait for room but then cleared.
Everland, from the final crop of Arrogate, was winless in her next eight starts – although she was a creditable fifth in the Kentucky Oaks last May. In the final race in that octet, she finished second to the older multiple stakes winner Dana’s Beauty in the My Charmer last month in her return to Turfway Park. That race set her up nicely for the Likely Exchange – which she had to wait for, as it was originally scheduled for Jan. 11 but was then re-carded due to a number of winter weather cancellations.
The favorite in the Likely Exchange was Earhart, making her stakes debut after winning her first two starts at Woodbine by a combined 17 3/4 lengths. The filly broke well from post 3 to lead in the opening strides on Friday, but she was almost immediately confronted by a pumped-up She’s Fancy on the outside. Earhart conceded the lead by a long neck, the two eyeing one another through opening fractions of 23.87 for the quarter and 48.17 for the half while both jockeys were riding high with their feet out in front for a good hold.
Meanwhile, Everland had been tracking in a good fifth while saving ground, but she was forced to steady entering the backstretch. At the halfway point, she was seventh, about five lengths back of the leaders. She was still waiting for room on the inside as the field began to bunch up entering the far turn, but jockey Abel Cedillo didn’t panic.
Turning for home, She’s Fancy faded and Earhart inherited the lead – but she did not hug the rail, as she was eyeing a rallying Neverwalkalone on her outside. That left room at the rail for Everland, and that was all she needed to launch her bid. Neverwalkalone easily got the measure of the favorite, but she could not hold off the determined run of Everland, who edged her out at the wire.
The time for the mile was 1:39.21. It was another 2 1/2 lengths to Earhart in third – a creditable placing to hold after the pressured early pace, as She’s Fancy, who had raced with her, faded to eighth in the field of 10.
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