Ready to Purrform headed to Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf after last-to-first rally in Laurel Futurity
Ready to Purrform is potentially headed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf after rallying from last to best eight other 2-year-olds in the $150,000 Laurel Futurity at 1 1/16 miles.
The Laurel Futurity was one of five turf stakes races on the Saturday Fall Festival of Racing program at Laurel Park.
Trained by Brad Cox for Donegal Racing, Ready to Purrform settled at the back as Epic Luck set quick fractions of 22.71 seconds and 46.70.
Jamestown Stakes winner Determined Kingdom turned up the pressure exiting the backstretch, but Ready to Purrform and Jevian Toledo had gradually inched up while widest on the course and were in full flight turning into the stretch.
Ready to Purrform brushed with Stride when that one attempted to angle off the inside at the three-sixteenths pole, then drew clear to win by 3 1/4 lengths. Stride nipped Wish Me Home by a neck for place. They were followed by Wow Whata Summer, High Stock, favored City At Night, Determined Kingdom, King of Hollywood, and Epic Luck.
Ready to Purrform completed the 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:43.03 and returned $8.80 to win as the second choice in the wagering.
“I thought it was a very professional effort from a horse that only had one run,” Cox said by telephone after the Laurel Futurity. “I think he’s got a big future.”
“He seemed to settle in nicely,” said Jerry Crawford, CEO of Donegal Racing, in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park. “There was a lot of speed in this race, but when Mr. Toledo asked him to move, he moved. I’m guessing that every Donegal partner that was here today will be at the Breeders’ Cup because that’s where ‘Ready’ will perform next.”
Bred in Kentucky by Bonne Chance Farm, Ready to Purrform is by Kitten’s Joy and sold for $150,000 as a yearling. He made his career debut on Sept. 3 at Ellis Park, winning a maiden special weight at 1 1/16 miles on turf with a 50 Beyer.
“We had looked at possibly running back at Keeneland,” Cox added. “Truth be known, I really didn’t see a figure out of his first race that really warranted a step up to a Grade 2, but I saw enough to tackle this group today. He had a big breeze last week at Churchill. He appeared to me as though he had moved forward off his first run.”
All Along Stakes
Regally bred Tuned made it three victories in a row with a comfortable win in the $100,000 All Along for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles.
An Al Shaqab Racing homebred trained by Graham Motion, Tuned was rated back to last by jockey Feargal Lynch as Scatrattleandroll doled out fractions of 23.22 and 49.39.
Sensing the slow pace up front, Lynch asked Tuned to advance into a stalking position on the backstretch, and they made the front turning for home with a three-wide bid outside Scatrattleandroll and Sweet Sami D.
From there, it was all Tuned and she scurried home to win by 3 3/4 lengths over stablemate Oyster Box. It was another two lengths back to Sweet Sami D. Niceno, Scatrattleandroll, and Take Charge Tina completed the order of finish. Favored Tuned ran the nine furlongs in 1:49.43 and paid $3.80 to win.
Tuned captured one of three races in France for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget before being shipped to Motion’s barn during summer 2019. Stakes-placed at Gulfstream in her final start of 2020, she had lost seven consecutive races before running in a Colonial Downs allowance on July 20.
"I think Colonial was a big difference maker,” Motion said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park. “When Ferg rode her down there, in the allowance race, it kind of helped turn her around. She came back and won again [the $100,000 Old Nelson Stakes on Aug. 31] and Ferg gave her a great ride again today. I'm just so glad to see her turn around and win some stakes because we always thought she was that caliber.”
A 5-year-old mare foaled in England, Tuned is by Toronado out of 2012 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Zagora.
Selima Stakes
Heavily favored Consumer Spending rocketed home under jockey Victor Carrasco to grab the $150,000 Selima Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.
Trained by Chad Brown for Klaravich Stables, Consumer Spending was bounced around in between horses in the opening furlong before saving valuable ground in midpack.
In the meantime, 87-1 longshot Evangeline Allons carved out fractions of 23.22 and 47.83 and was traveling sweetly on the far turn with several of her closest pursuers struggling off the bridle behind her.
Consumer Spending split horses on the backstretch, dropped back nearer to the rail on the second turn, then bulled her way outside at the three-sixteenths pole. Once in the clear, the More Than Ready filly gave an eye-catching stretch kick to win by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:43.21.
She’s Like Thunder rallied for second and was two lengths clear of Evangeline Allons. Then came Sparkle Blue, Hedy Lamarr, Petition Prayer, Determined Charm, and Luna Antonia. Consumer Spending paid $2.80 to win.
Consumer Spending survived a stewards’ inquiry and a jockey’s objection after Sparkle Blue’s rider, Feargal Lynch, claimed foul alleging interference in upper stretch.
Consumer Spending was bred in Kentucky by Forging Oaks Farm and was purchased for $200,000 as a yearling. Her second dam, Shaconage, was a multiple Grade 3 winner on the turf.
A runner-up in her career debut on Aug. 8 at Saratoga, Consumer Spending graduated in her second race, a maiden special weight on Sept. 6at the Spa.
Laurel Dash
Xy Speed earned his first stakes victory after benefiting from a lovely ride by Jorge Ruiz to win the $150,000 Laurel Dash in a blanket finish.
Claimed by trainer Gerald Bennett for $32,000 out of his prior start, a winning effort at Delaware Park, Xy Speed broke well under Ruiz and tracked pacesetters Francatelli and Valued Notion through fractions of 21.95 and 44.75.
Francatelli drifted out just a bit turning into the long stretch, and Ruiz sent Xy Speed in between rivals with a decisive move to grab the lead. The closers loomed large all the way down to the second-wire finish, but Xy Speed held tough.
He reached the line a neck ahead of Battle Station and completed the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:02.45. It was another neck back to Cannon’s Roar in third. Favored Matta, Grateful Bred, So Street, Boldor, Francatelli, Smooth B, Valued Notion, and Fiber and Emily were next. Xy Speed paid $18.80 as the sixth choice in the wagering.
“When he made the lead, I know he’s a fighter just off of his form,” Bennett said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park.
A 5-year-old gelded son of First Samurai, Xy Speed was bred in Kentucky by Monticule. He boasts a 9-7-1-1 record on turf.
Japan Turf Cup
Grade 3 winner Tide of the Sea proved too classy for his six rivals in the $100,000 Japan Turf Cup at 1 1/2 miles.
Conditioned by Michael Maker for Three Diamonds Farm, Tide of the Sea reached the winner’s circle for the first time since wiring the field in the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight Stakes on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream. In his most recent start, he finished 11th in the Grade 2 Calumet Turf Cup on Sept. 11 at Kentucky Downs.
Tide of the Sea was hustled hard from the gate by jockey Horacio Karamanos but was outsprinted to the early lead by both A Thread of Blue and Real Factor. Those two contested fractions of 23.81 and 48.18 before Real Factor assumed command passing the stands for the first time.
Karamanos maneuvered favored Tide of the Sea outside of the leader on the backstretch and moved to the lead on the third turn. A Thread of Blue attempted to re-rally but was soon vanquished and Tide of the Sea was on his way. He streaked under the wire 1 3/4 lengths in front of rallying Hierarchy, and Gunnison was another 1 1/4 lengths back in third. Johng was fourth, followed by Oceans Map, A Thread of Blue, and Real Factor. Tide of the Sea returned $4.60 to win.
"My trainer told me to send him out of the gate and try to go for the lead," Karamanos said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park. "I tried to go but didn't want to rush the whole time. On the second turn, my horse started to pick it up and I let him go. At the five-eighths pole, I felt that I had a lot of horse. At the eighth pole, he gave me a kick."
Tide of the Sea is a 5-year-old son of English Channel and is a half-brother to stakes-placed runners Boule and Module. His second dam, Tates Creek, was a multiple Grade 1 winner on turf. Bred in Kentucky by Juddmonte Farms, Tide of the Sea made his first four starts for trainer Bill Mott before being purchased for $80,000 at Keeneland November in 2019.