Gold for the Queen upsets Doremifasollatido

Throughout her first 11 career starts, Gold for the Queen had never raced beyond 6 1/2 furlongs. In four races at her home base of Finger Lakes, she had never finished better than third or closer than seven lengths to the winner.

All that changed Sunday afternoon when trainer Charlton Baker stretched out Gold for the Queen to 1 1/16 miles for the $75,000 New York Oaks. Gold for the Queen dueled with 2-5 favorite Doremifasollatido through six furlongs in 1:12.11, then kicked clear in the stretch and drew off to prevail by 3 3/4 lengths for her first stakes victory.

Sapphire Sky finished second, 10 1/4 lengths in front of a fading Doremifasollatio, a graded stakes winner whose chances may have been compromised when her jockey, Pedro Rodriguez, dropped his whip in the upper stretch.

Gold for the Queen ($18.60) completed the distance over a track rated good in 1:47.37. She prepped for her first attempt at a route by working a mile on Aug. 6, then won a six-furlong optional claiming sprint 10 days later at Saratoga.

"We always knew she would go long and she's been training well," Baker said.

A daughter of Gold Token, Gold for the Queen is owned by Francis Paolangeli, who purchased the filly at auction for only $2,000 when she was a yearling in 2007.