McKulick vindicates Brown's decision by winning Jockey Club Oaks

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – When trainer Chad Brown was deciding where to run McKulick following her second-place finish in the Saratoga Oaks last month, his options were the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II going 1 1/8 miles at Keeneland on Oct. 15 or the Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks going 1 3/8 miles at Aqueduct.

Lured by the $700,000 purse - $100,000 more than the QEII - the idea of staying home in New York and the belief the 3-year-old filly could be successful going a marathon distance, Brown opted for the Jockey Club Oaks.

Good call.

McKulick, under Irad Ortiz Jr, overtook German invader Toskana Belle and Frankie Dettori in midstretch and outlasted that stubborn foe to the wire to win Saturday’s Jockey Club Oaks by a half-length at Aqueduct.

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It was three-quarters of lengths back to 23-1 longshot Miss Yearwood in third. She was followed in the order of finish by Beside Yourself, Canisy and Nostalgic.

With the Jockey Club Oaks win added to her victory in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks at Belmont Park in July, McKulick captured two-thirds of NYRA’s Triple Turf series for 3-year-old fillies.

While 1 3/8 miles was farther than McKulick had ever run, Brown said he felt confident in her ability to get the distance and, watching the race from Keeneland, where he was attending the yearling sales, he loved the trip she worked out under Ortiz.

“She got a beautiful trip from Irad,” he said. “I liked how he lined her up behind the eventual runner-up and it all worked out okay.”

Ortiz had McKulick in fourth, while Beside Herself set the early pace, stalked by Toskana Belle, the French-bred filly from Germany who won the Group 1 German Oaks at this 1 3/8-mile distance.

Dettori and Toskana Belle went after Beside Herself early on the far turn, and Ortiz moved McKulick after them. It looked like McKulick was going to cruise on by, but at the eighth pole she ducked out. Ortiz got McKulick straightened out and she was able to outfinish Toskana Belle.

“After the trip I got was pretty confident I was going to still have some horse,” Ortiz said. “After she made the lead, I think she spooked from something - she saw something inside - because she went out a little bit. I was able to correct her right away, switch my stick, hit her a couple of times and she responded.”

McKulick, a daughter of Frankel owned by Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables, covered the 1 3/8 miles in a posted course record time of 2:12.38 and returned $3.60 as the favorite. The previous course record was 2:14.20 set by Fluorescent Light in 1978.

McKulick was given a 93 Beyer Speed Figure.

Dettori, riding at Aqueduct for the first time since 1990, said the tight turns worked against Toskana Belle.

“I had a good trip, but on the inner track the bends are so tight she found it very difficult to negotiate them,” Dettori said. “I lost a lot of momentum around those turns. She did her best work in the straight, but the damage was done around the turns.”