Mitchell Road all the way in Gallorette Stakes

BALTIMORE – Country House wasn’t here for Preakness Day, but the connections of the Kentucky Derby winner still were able to enjoy the afternoon when Mitchell Road went wire to wire in the 68th running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Gallorette Stakes at Pimlico.

Mitchell Road, a bay 4-year-old filly, is by English Channel and out of Quake Lake, which makes her a half-sister to Country House, winner via disqualification of the May 4 Kentucky Derby. Country House did not contest the Preakness after being diagnosed with a minor illness shortly after the Derby.

Mitchell Road was bred by the late Joseph V. Shields Jr., who also bred Country House. Similarly, the filly is owned by Shields’s widow, Mrs. J.V. Shields Jr., and their nephew E.J.M. “Guinness” McFadden, as is Country House. Hall of Famer Bill Mott trains both horses.

Under Joel Rosario, Mitchell Road dominated the seven other fillies and mares in the Gallorette, controlling the pace before prevailing by 2 1/4 lengths over Thewayiam. The winner returned $6.20 as the favorite after finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.21 over firm turf.

“She’s developed with age into a very nice filly,” said Riley Mott, assistant to his father, who watched from his New York base. “She always trains very forwardly, very willingly, and she surely ran well today. We’ll enjoy this – she gave her little brother [Country House] a big update there.”

The Gallorette was the graded stakes debut for Mitchell Road, who made stellar work of stair-stepping her way through conditions into this, posting four wins and two seconds from her six prior starts, all on turf. The Kentucky-bred filly now has won four in a row, with the ungraded Stall Memorial at Fair Grounds in February being her prior start.

“She got a little bit sick after her race at the Fair Grounds and needed a little time to recuperate,” said Mott.

Viva Vegas rallied mildly to be third, a half-length behind Thewayiam and three-quarters of a length before I’m So Fancy. Then came Dynatail, Inflexibility, Barkaa, and In the Lee. Hogans Holiday was an early scratch.

The $2 exacta (4-3) paid $47, the $1 triple (4-3-8) returned $149.30, and the 10-cent superfecta (4-3-8-1) was worth $59.75.

The Gallorette was the first leg in a pick four that was to end with the Preakness. Handle was $3,096,721, well above the $2 million pool guarantee.