One Liz moves off rail to take Isaac Murphy Handicap
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
One Liz moved up the rail and looped past favorite Puntsville in the stretch to win her stakes debut in the $50,000 Isaac Murphy Handicap for Illinois-bred fillies Saturday at Arlington Park.
The 6-year-old Kitalpha mare broke alertly in the field of six and tracked on the outside hip of Puntsville in the opening strides. Puntsville separated from the pack across the backstretch into an opening quarter of 22.44 seconds, and Church Road inserted herself between the leader and One Liz from the outside. The opening half-mile went in 45.55 seconds.
Jockey Jose Valdivia Jr. settled One Liz on the rail through the turn as Puntsville began to distance herself from the field. Valdivia began to rouse One Liz into contention at the three-sixteenths pole, and swung her to the outside of the leader approaching the final furlong.
After some mild brushing with her foe in the final sixteenth, One Liz received left-handed urging from her rider and carried her momentum past Puntsville to win by three lengths.
Puntsville conceded after a brief duel to run on for second, two lengths ahead of rallying third-place finisher My Mertie.
One Liz completed the six-furlong race in 1:09.58 over Arlington’s all-weather Polytrack surface, and paid $12.60 to win. It was Valdivia’s first stakes win of 2017.
One Liz is trained by Wayne Catalano for owners Joseph and Don Cochonour. She has won both starts for her new connections after being claimed for $10,000 last August at Gulfstream Park. Prior to the Isaac Murphy, the mare won a 1 1/16-mile allowance at Arlington on May 20.
With the victory, One Liz improved her career record to seven wins in 18 career starts for earnings of $152,986. She was bred in Illinois by Triple C Thorobred and Dick Lossen.
