Glass Ceiling gets aggressive, cruises in Distaff Handicap
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Glass Ceiling was a bit anxious in the post parade. Her jockey, Dylan Davis, was a bit concerned. Her trainer, Charlton Baker, was not.
“She’s on the muscle the same way in the morning going to the track, so it’s nothing new for me to see her like that,” Baker said.
It was also nothing new for Baker to see Glass Ceiling take her aggression out on the competition in the afternoon. On Saturday, Glass Ceiling stalked the pacesetting Kept Waiting for the opening half-mile, took over turning for home and cruised to a five-length victory in the Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct.
Kept Waiting finished second, 8 1/2 lengths clear of Search Results, the 3-5 favorite who did not seem comfortable in what was her first start in eight months. Zaajel finished fourth while Easy to Bless was last. Dealing Justice scratched.
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The win was the fourth straight for Glass Ceiling and her eighth win from 26 career starts. She is 5 for 9 since Baker claimed the daughter of Constitution last May for $40,000 for himself and part-owner Michael Foster.
Davis said he was concerned in the post parade because he felt Glass Ceiling might have been expending too much energy before the race. He felt better when Glass Ceiling broke so sharp and put herself right into the race, just a length off Kept Waiting.
Glass Ceiling confronted Kept Waiting just before the quarter pole, after a half-mile in 45.98 seconds, and then gradually moved away from Kept Waiting through the lane.
“She was really getting amped up, but she’d been getting aggressive,” Davis said. “I loved where she was sitting, even turning for home she responded great for me. She was well into the bridle, if I were to have gotten a challenger, I felt like she would have fought on again. She’s on a nice path and she’s getting better every race.”
Glass Ceiling covered the seven furlongs over a fast track in 1:21.71 and returned $6.50 as the second choice. Glass Ceiling received a 98 Beyer Speed Figure.
“Once she was stalking I was comfortable because I knew she was going to kick down the lane,” Baker said. “She always gives you that run down the lane and [Search Results] kept going farther back.”
Search Results, last year’s Grade 1 Acorn winner, was making her first start since finishing third in the Grade 1 Test last August. Up close early, she was basically done after a half-mile under Jose Ortiz.
“Halfway through the race she started climbing around and never really picked her feet after that, so we’ll just go over her and see what happens,” trainer Chad Brown said.
Baker said Glass Ceiling does well with time between races so he said he would most likely point her to the Grade 2, $300,000 Bed o’ Roses Stakes at Belmont on June 10.