Molly Morgan benefits from great ride to win La Troienne
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Back on her favorite surface and the recipient of a tremendous ride from Corey Lanerie, Molly Morgan became a Grade 1 winner Friday at Churchill Downs, taking the $300,000 La Troienne by three-quarters of a length.
Sheer Drama, who had defeated Molly Morgan by 8 1/2 lengths in the Grade 2 Royal Delta at Gulfstream Park on March 21, got up for second by a head over Gold Medal Dancer. She was followed in order by Tiz Windy, My Miss Sophia, Interest Free, America, Sweet Whiskey, and Frivolous.
The win was the eighth from 29 starts for Molly Morgan and sixth from 14 starts here. She now is a three-time graded stakes winner at Churchill Downs. Her career earnings now are $882,159.
Dale Romans, the trainer of Molly Morgan, credited owner and co-breeder Bill Cubbedge with giving the mare a proper break following last season, and Lanerie with doing a masterful job getting Molly Morgan to the rail from post 8 entering the first turn.
“Bill let me sit on her this winter,” Romans said. “We didn’t turn her out. We just let her stay in training, get her feet back under her, and she came back with a good performance at Gulfstream that set her up perfect to come here.”
Breaking from post 8, Lanerie was able to get Molly Morgan over to the rail and into sixth position entering the first turn. Sweet Whiskey, stretching out around two turns for the first time, ran off with jockey John Velazquez through a quarter of 23.14 seconds and a half-mile in 46.81.
Lanerie said he was following My Miss Sophia – last year’s Kentucky Oaks runner-up – because he felt she was the horse to beat. Coming to the quarter pole, My Miss Sophia drifted off the fence, and Lanerie shot Molly Morgan on through, and she was able to out-finish Gold Medal Dancer, who had taken the lead at the five-sixteenths pole. Sheer Drama got past Gold Medal Dancer by a neck near the wire.
Molly Morgan, a daughter of Ghostzapper bred by Cubbedge, Mike Lauffer, and Greg McDonald, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.25 and returned $13 as the fourth choice.
For Lanerie, it was the second Grade 1 win of his career. He won the 2009 Ashland on Hooh Why.
“I was following Javier [Castellano] on My Miss Sophia – I thought he’d take me at least to the eighth pole,” Lanerie said. “At the five-sixteenths pole, he wasn’t going anywhere, so I dove inside of him and got some momentum going. The rail never shut down on me. I was able to keep that momentum until I got on through there.”
Of Lanerie, Romans said: “He’s becoming as good a rider as there is in the country. People need to start waking up and seeing it and use him in these big races.”
David Fawkes, the trainer of Sheer Drama said he was happy with his mare’s performance.
“She got a little bit of an outside trip,” Fawkes said. “That’s where I wanted to be. That other horse snuck through on the inside. She was coming at her. She just couldn’t catch her. She ran excellent.”