Little Miss Curlin stays unbeaten in Champions Day Lassie
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Little Miss Curlin won her third race from as many starts, pulling steadily clear to capture the $125,000 Louisiana Champions Day Lassie on Saturday at Fair Grounds.
And if raw times meant anything, the filly also would have won the $125,000 Champions Day Juvenile, which Our Moneyman bagged two races later.
Our Moneyman ran six furlongs over a fast track in 1:10.60 and worked harder in so doing than Little Miss Curlin, who clocked 1:10.33 while notching a more visually impressive victory.
A Coteau Grove Farms homebred trained by Pat Devereux, Little Miss Curlin won her debut on Oct. 5 at Delta Downs by more than four lengths, and on Nov. 21 at Fair Grounds won the Donovan Ferguson Memorial by five. She had to work a little harder Saturday than in her first two starts, but after digging in and pushing past pacesetting second choice Thrill Seeker in upper stretch, Little Miss Curlin had the lead at the furlong grounds and pulled away to score by 4 1/4 lengths.
She did so after tracking two horses from third, rating kindly for jockey Jareth Loveberry after winning her first two with displays of speed.
“She even improved from the last start,” Loveberry said. “She was a little fractious in the gate last time. Today she broke and I could put her wherever I wanted. I sat right off the speed and she picked it up nicely.”
Thrill Seeker had 10 lengths on her pace rival and third-place finisher Wickdwithbourbon. The 4-5 favorite, Little Miss Curlin paid $3.80.
The filly, by Charlatan, has the look and cadence of a route horse, and her dam, the Curlin mare Mylady Curlin, won a Grade 2 over 1 1/8 miles. Deveraux, however, preached patience regarding longer distances and the possibility of open competition.
“She did settle really nice today, and that made me feel good,” Devereux said.
Backers of 11-10 Juvenile favorite Creole Chrome had to feel good when pacesetting Scar Ship blew the end of the far turn, coming out five or six paths and taking the rallying Our Moneyman with him. Creole Chrome, a smart Fair Grounds debut winner in his only start, had sat in the pocket in third, and when Scar Ship came off his line, he inherited the lead and went clear.
That didn’t last long. Scar Ship got back on track and had plenty of run, and both he and Our Moneyman collared Creole Chrome before the sixteenth pole. Our Moneyman, doing the slightly better work, pushed forward, took the lead in the last 50 yards, and was home by a half-length. Creole Chrome finished another half-length back in third.
Our Moneyman, who paid $8.40 as the second choice, had been a competitive second last month in the Joseph Peluso Memorial after breaking through the gate before the start. He could not quite overcome that incident but remained professional and determined under Axel Concepcion after getting carried out before the quarter pole Saturday.
Bret Calhoun trains Our Moneyman for his breeder, Chester Thomas’ Allied Racing Stable. Our Moneyman is by Mr. Money out of Lipstick Junky, by Flatter. Not as fast as the filly, but fast enough for his own win on Louisiana Champions Day.
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