Salty finally gets best of Abel Tasman in La Troienne
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It took a year, but Salty finally got her revenge on Abel Tasman on Friday at Churchill Downs.
Salty was fifth behind the victorious Abel Tasman the first time they met in last year’s Kentucky Oaks, and finished behind her in three subsequent starts last year, but in the Grade 1, $350,000 La Troienne Stakes, Salty rallied up the rail and nailed pacesetting Farrell as Abel Tasman, making her first start in six months and hampered by a slow pace, only could manage to finish fourth.
Salty ($10.40) had a pair of preps around one turn this year after being off for more than five months, and the added distance of the 1 1/16-mile La Troienne certainly played in her favor. She sat second during the early going behind Farrell, then finished best of all to prevail by 1 3/4 lengths.
Salty completed 1 1/16 miles on the fast main track in 1:43.78.
Farrell finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of third-place Martini Glass, who beat Abel Tasman, the 3-5 favorite, by a neck. Tiger Moth was fifth and Streamline trailed in a field reduced to six by the scratches of Apologynotaccepted and Ivy Bell.
The scratch of Apologynotaccepted left Farrell as the clear front-runner. Tyler Gaffalione, who rode Salty, understood the task at hand. He wanted to keep Salty close, and had a willing participant in the scheme, as Salty was second in the early going.
“With the other speed scratched, we needed to be closer,” Gaffalione said. “She broke well and was fine being up there, and I didn’t want to take anything away from her.”
Channing Hill, who rode Farrell, got her to a clear lead through fractions of 24.70 seconds for the opening quarter, 48.86 seconds for the half, and 1:12.82 for six furlongs.
“At the top of the lane I thought I was a winner,” Hill said. “Give credit to the winner. She reeled me in the last sixteenth.”
Abel Tasman, last year’s champion 3-year-old filly, is always sluggish to begin her races. She was fifth in the early going and found herself behind a pace that did her no favors in her first start since last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Her jockey, Mike Smith, said he was afraid to try and advance inside, “because they all had eyes on me,” and he was fearful of being boxed in. He said Paco Lopez, on Martini Glass, seemed particularly keen on trying to trap him.
Smith said Abel Tasman galloped out well after the race, and insisted to her trainer, Bob Baffert, that “she’ll be fine.”
“She got a lot out of the race,” Smith said.
The win by Salty was her fourth in 11 starts. Her biggest prior win was in her second start, in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks 13 months ago. Salty, 4, is a daughter of Quality Road who is owned by a partnership that includes Gary Barber. She is trained by Mark Casse.
“We thought if there was ever a time to take on Abel Tasman, it was today,” Casse said.