Greyjoy wins first stakes a week after near miss in claiming race
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Greyjoy, beaten a nose in a $40,000 claiming race on Aug. 12, was wheeled back one week later and became a stakes winner, taking Wednesday’s $150,000 Statue of Liberty division of the New York Stallion Series for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga.
The recipient of a ground-saving trip under Tyler Gaffalione in the one-mile turf race, Greyjoy tipped off the rail in upper stretch and ran by the pacesetting Celtic Dawn inside the eighth pole and drew clear. She finished 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Morning Prayer, who rallied to finish 2 1/2 lengths clear of Celtic Dawn, the 2-1 favorite.
Trainer John Terranova said he had the Statue of Liberty in the back of his mind even as he entered Greyjoy in the $40,000 claimer a week ago. Greyjoy ran a solid race in that 1 1/16-mile race, came out of it well so Terranova felt confident running back.
“It’s Saratoga, if you got the right horse and they’re doing well you got to get a little aggressive up here,” Terranova said. “She’s a very tough little filly, always got her head in the [feed] tub, good energy in the mornings, very sound. We thought it might be a positive.”
Terranova felt the cutback to a mile might benefit Greyjoy, as she was able sit behind a faster pace, this one established by Celtic Dawn, who proved for the second straight race that she is better sprinting.
Celtic Dawn was stalked by She’s Country, who was returning off a lengthy layoff. Gaffalione kept Greyjoy in close proximity to that pair and had plenty of horse when able to get outside in upper stretch.
“I got to give John all the credit, he brought her over here ready to run,” Gaffalione said. “She broke alertly, put me where I wanted to be, traveled like a winner throughout. I just followed the leader through there, when I got outside she really found another gear.”
Greyjoy, a daughter of Lookin At Lee owned by Gatsas Stable and Ann Holbrook, the former wife of the late Jerry Moss, covered the mile in 1:37.19 over firm turf and returned $10.90 as the third choice.
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