Great Island powers home in Matchmaker Stakes

Great Island’s connections have been treating the mare like she had a big race in her, eschewing a second-level allowance for which she was eligible for stakes competition. Saturday at Monmouth, Great Island showed why, unleashing a powerful rally, going from last to first in the final quarter-mile and winning the Grade 3, $150,000 Matchmaker Stakes by a half-length.

Chad Brown trains Great Island and also sent out the runner-up, Kalifornia Queen, who looked like a winner at the sixteenth pole as she bore down on idling favorite Juliet Foxtrot. But Great Island, who looked like she had no chance to get up at the five-sixteenths pole, buzzed past on the far outside.

“It was my first time riding her and she gave me a really good run,” jockey Joel Rosario said. “I’m very impressed with her.”

Brown’s third starter, Nay Lady Nay, attended the pace but had no late spark and checked in fourth. Brown’s fourth entrant, Counterparty Risk, was an early scratch.

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Tyler Gaffalione gave Juliet Foxtrot, favored at even money, a perfect trip, sitting right behind overmatched pacesetter No Mercy Percy, who went the half-mile of this two-turn turf race in a slow 49.56 seconds. No Mercy Percy drifted off the fence at the quarter pole, and Gaffalione guided his mount through the hole, opening a lead of several lengths after turning into the homestretch. But Juliet Foxtrot, who appears to have lost a step midway through her 6-year-old season, couldn’t sustain her bid and was run down by the Brown pair.

Lightly raced Great Island won for the fourth time in seven starts while capturing her first graded stakes. Owned by Alpha Delta Stables, she’s a daughter of the late Scat Daddy and the Rahy mare Voyage. Winning time for the 1 1/8 miles on a firm course was 1:48.89, and Great Island paid $10.80 to win. Great Island got a 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

“We had a feeling she would like this track,” said Brown’s Monmouth assistant, Luis Cabrerra. “She was at Belmont training, but we always thought she would fit well on this turf course. This is probably the best race of her career.”

The Matchmaker is sponsored by WinStar Farm, which offers connections of the top three finishers a breeding (total value $50,000) to one of three stallions they stand, Audible, Global Campaign, and Tom’s d’Etat.