Mother Mother delivers as favorite in Rags to Riches Stakes
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Running a temperature last month cost Mother Mother a start in the Sept. 29 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita, but the rerouting it caused seemingly contributed to a victory in Sunday’s opening-day, $103,166 Rags to Riches Stakes at Churchill Downs.
There were no 2-year-old fillies in the Rags to Riches as talented as Bellafina, the Chandelier winner, and Mother Mother found the lead without difficulty. Once there, she carved out wind-aided fractions of 22.55 and 45.16 seconds down the backstretch, opened up with six furlongs in 1:09.82 around the turn, and lasted for a 1 3/4-length victory into a closing headwind. She completed the one-mile distance over a fast track in 1:36.77.
A 26-1 longshot, Molto Bella, rallied to be second while never a significant danger to the winner. Two lengths behind in midstretch, she gained only a fraction over the final furlong.
Jockey Florent Geroux was pleased with Mother Mother’s race while believing she is capable of better. “She got a little bit tired first time going a mile,” he said.
The Rags to Riches also marked her first race with blinkers, after racing without them in the Del Mar Debutante and in a debut victory at Del Mar on July 22.
“She was just maybe a little too laid-back,” said Jimmy Barnes, assistant to winning trainer Bob Baffert. “We wanted her more aggressive.”
A daughter of Pioneerof the Nile owned by a partnership and carrying the colors of George Bolton, Mother Mother paid $5.40 as the favorite in the field of seven.
Finishing third was High Regard, a 13-1 shot. Princess Carolina, Take Charge Angel, and Into Mystic were the remaining finishers. Chocolate Kisses lost rider Julien Leparoux at the start when she stumbled. Leparoux escaped injury.
• Also on Sunday at Churchill, Dunph improved to 2 for 2 by decisively taking the $300,000 Spendthrift Juvenile Stallion Stakes, a seven-furlong stakes race restricted to offspring of sires from Spendthrift Farm.
As in his debut Sept. 15 at Penn National, a race he won by 8 1/2 lengths, Dunph sat and pounced with success. He rated just off the pace of early leader B. B. Dude, caught that one leaving the second turn, and drew away by 7 3/4 lengths. He raced seven furlongs in a sharp 1:23.20.
Naughty Joker closed to grab second, a head in front of Into the South.
The race left winning rider Tyler Gaffalione feeling his mount will appreciate more distance. “I don’t think I got the best out of him today,” he said.
A 2-year-old gelding by Temple City owned by Joseph Besecker and Three Diamonds Farm, Dunph paid $10.80 as the third betting choice. He is now with trainer Mike Maker after racing for Timothy Kreiser at Penn National.
Sunday marked the last running of the Spendthrift Farm Juvenile Stallion Stakes after the sponsor announced it was discontinuing it. Spendthrift owner B. Wayne Hughes grew dissatisfied with the race not being eligible for black-type status due to its restriction on participants.
