Gonzalez, Shifty She lead all the way in Noble Damsel
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ELMONT, N.Y. - Jockey Edwin Gonzalez had won twice aboard Shifty She in the spring at Gulfstream Park, so when trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. asked him to go to New York to ride her in Saturday’s Grade 2 Noble Damsel at Belmont he naturally jumped at the chance.
Then, Gonzalez made sure that Shifty She jumped well out of the gate, put her on the lead, and was never headed in recording a 1 1/2-length victory in the $200,000 Noble Damsel.
High Opinion finished second, a half-length in front of Flower Point. In a Hurry was fourth, followed by Love and Thunder, Tamahere, Risky Mischief, and Marlborough Road.
Gonzalez said he feared some early pressure would come from Risky Mischief, a closing sprinter who was stretching out in distance. But when that filly didn’t show speed and when Irad Ortiz Jr. allowed Tamahere to sit just off of Shifty She, Gonzalez grew confident.
On a firm turf course that had been kind to front-running types, Shifty She ran a quarter in 23.33 seconds, a half in 46.20, six furlongs in 1:09.58 and covered the mile in 1:33.24. Shifty She returned $15.20 as the fourth choice.
“My filly, when she’s in front, she gets nice and relaxed and she finishes,” said Gonzalez, who was riding just his second mount ever at Belmont Park. “I waited to the last sixteenth to let her run and when I asked her she opened up again.”
Joseph said he let Gonzalez decide how he wanted to ride Shifty She, who did win the Powder Break Stakes in May from a stalking position. Joseph’s initial thought was the pace might have been too quick and “at the quarter pole I wasn’t sure” she was going to win, Joseph said.
“I didn’t feel confident until around the sixteenth pole,” he added.
Shifty She, a 5-year-old daughter of Gone Astray, is owned by Chris Pallas and Harvey Rothenberg, who has attended every Super Bowl game.
Joseph said Shifty She would return to Florida and point to the $500,000 Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf on Jan. 29, 2022 at Gulfstream. The Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf replaces what used to be known as the Marshua’s River.
- additional reporting by Mike Welsch