Gam's Mission surges in Regret, gives trainer Devaux first stakes triumph
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Gam’s Mission gave trainer Cherie Devaux her first career stakes victory by overhauling favored Spanish Loveaffair to win the 52nd running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Regret Stakes on the Stephen Foster Preview card Saturday at Churchill.
Turning for home in a 1 1/8-mile turf race run over “good” ground, Gam’s Mission was along in time to defeat Spanish Loveaffair by three-quarters of a length. The winner returned $14.20 as fourth choice in a field of eight 3-year-old fillies.
Devaux, a former assistant to Chad Brown in New York, ran her first winner in March 2019 and has since developed a sizable stable filled mostly with young horses based primarily in Kentucky and Florida. Gam’s Mission, bred and owned by the Lazy F Ranch of Forego fame, was making her stakes debut after going through a maiden and first-level allowance condition in her two prior starts this year.
“I think this filly could be something exciting,” said Adam Beschizza, who has ridden Gam’s Mission in all three of those wins. “The ground is a little bit testing, so it takes a bit in getting the mile and an eighth.”
Gam’s Mission, a Kentucky-bred by Noble Mission, finished in 1:51.02. Devaux said the major turf races for 3-year-old fillies in New York this summer “are definitely on the table.”
Spanish Loveaffair, the 7-5 choice, had a good trip under Tyler Gaffalione when forcing all the pace before yielding late. She held second by a head over Flown, with Oyster Box another three-quarters of a length back in fourth.
Cellist ($7.60) wires the Audubon
Some 90 minutes earlier, Cellist relaxed on an uncontested lead by gliding to victory in the $150,000 Audubon, the male counterpart to the Regret.
Rating calmly for Julien Leparoux on splits of 51.20 and 1:16.12, Cellist put away Royal Prince when responding to three intermittent smacks of a left-handed whip in finishing three-quarters of a length clear of a late-running Palazzi. The winner returned $7.60 as second choice in a field of seven 3-year-olds after finishing the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:51.53.
“I like :51,” said Rusty Arnold, who trains Cellist for owner-breeder Calumet Farm.
Cellist, by Big Blue Kitten, now has won two of four starts. This was his stakes debut following a nose defeat in a first-level turf allowance on April 23, closing day of the Keeneland spring meet.
“He’s actually a little unlucky that he’s not undefeated,” Arnold said. “He’s a pretty nice colt. We’d like to maybe make the big race at Saratoga with him,” referring to the $1 million Saratoga Derby Invitational, a 1 3/16-mile turf race for 3-year-olds on Aug. 7.
Like the King, the 2-1 favorite, ran fifth when making his first start since finishing 12th in the Kentucky Derby.