Gift List finishes strong to take Edgewood; odds-on Aunt Pearl reportedly bleeds
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Gift List turned in a performance that signaled she will be a force to be reckoned with, rolling to a 4 1/2-length victory in the Grade 2, $300,000 Edgewood Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the turf on Friday at Churchill Downs, springing a mild upset as Aunt Pearl, one of the biggest favorites on the card, bled and faded to fifth.
Gift List ($10.80), bred in Great Britain by James Ortega Bloodstock, made the first five starts of her career on her native continent, breaking her maiden on a synthetic track at Newcastle. She did not finish worse than second in her 2-year-old campaign and, in her 2020 finale, finished second to well-regarded Love Is You in the Racing TV Radley Stakes on heavy going in October at Newbury.
Gift List was privately purchased by Amerman Racing and was sent to trainer Brian Lynch in the U.S., first appearing on the worktab here in early February. In her first start stateside, and her first off a layoff, she was a fine second in the Grade 2 Appalachian Stakes, making up ground late to be beaten 1 1/2 lengths on a day when no one was reeling in the free-running Jouster.
"We were so happy with her U.S. debut," Lynch said. "She gave it a great run that day to a race that just had no pace in it, but she did close gamely. And she's really trained on well from her last start to this, even though we've had to work her on the dirt, which was a bit of a new thing to her. . . . So I had a good feeling going into this race."
Aunt Pearl assumed her customary spot on the lead, tracked by Zaajel, the Grade 3 Forward Gal Stakes winner who was making her first start on the turf. Aunt Pearl ticked off the opening quarter in 24.32 seconds, and a comfortable half in 49.03. At that point, Gift List and jockey Javier Castellano were third, about 2 1/2 lengths off the leader.
Aunt Pearl turned for home with about a half-length advantage over Zaajel, but those two were about to wilt. Once straightened away in the lane, Castellano gave Gift List her cue, and she turned on the afterburners, quickly scampering clear and continuing to extend her margin to the wire.
Gift List stopped the clock in 1:42.52 for 1 1/16 miles on a drying-out turf course officially rated good after rain on Thursday. She earned a Beyer Speed Fiture of 88.
Barista was second by 2 1/2 lengths over Line Dancing, who nosed out Queen of the Green for third. Aunt Pearl was another head back in fifth, followed by Postnup and the fading Zaajel.
This marked the first defeat in four career starts for Aunt Pearl, who was making her first start since winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Keeneland.
"I had nothing," said the filly's regular rider, Florent Geroux. "She was traveling great. Just no horse down the lane."
Several hours after the race, the BSW Bloodstock account of agents Brad Weisbord Jr. and Liz Crow, who purchased Aunt Pearl as a yearling in Europe, offered an explanation for the finish, stating that Aunt Pearl was found to have bled "a 3 out of 5" in the race. The filly ran without Lasix under Kentucky rules, but also competed without Lasix in all her starts as a juvenile, without being reported to have had issues.
"We are hopeful we will be able to get her back to top form this season," Weisbord and Crow said.