Shotgun Hottie noses Champagne Poetry in Ruthless Stakes
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - When it’s going as well as it has this winter in New York for trainer Bill Morey, you win the types of photos his 3-year-old filly Shotgun Hottie won in Sunday’s $100,000 Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct.
Rallying from off the pace and extremely wide under Trevor McCarthy, Shotgun Hottie outfinished Champagne Poetry and Dylan Davis inside the sixteenth pole and won the bob at the wire to capture the Ruthless by a nose. Champagne Poetry finished 1 3/4 lengths in front of pacesetting Lady Milagro.
Landslid was fourth, followed by Miss Interpret, Knowing Glance, and Jet Force.
The win was the fifth from 12 starters for Morey at Aqueduct, a meet at which he’s running horses for the first time.
“We’ve had a good little run here,” said Morey, whose primary base is in Kentucky. “It comes and goes, but it’s a good run right now.”
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Shotgun Hottie was making his first start for Morey. The filly had made her first four starts for Tom Amoss, but owners Omar Aldabbagh and Jeff Ganje moved her to Morey in New York.
Morey had wanted to run Shotgun Hottie a little farther than the seven furlongs of the Ruthless, but felt this was too good a stakes opportunity to pass up.
Breaking from the outside post under McCarthy, Shotgun Hottie was near the back of the pack, but only four lengths off the pace of 22.72 seconds for the quarter and 45.95 for the half established by Lady Milagro. Champagne Poetry, fourth early, moved into second entering the far turn.
McCarthy launched a four-to-five-wide bid around the turn and seemed to have plenty to do to catch Lady Milagro. Inside the eighth pole, Lady Milagro began to tire, and Champagne Poetry was poised to take the lead, which she did 70 yards out. But a relentless McCarthy kept Shotgun Hottie coming and she got up in the final jump, though McCarthy wasn’t certain.
“I said to Dylan galloping out 'Did you get it?’ " McCarthy said. “I got the majority of the bob but it was tricky.”
Shotgun Hottie did get it, covering seven furlongs in 1:24.91 and returning $5.80 as the favorite. Shotgun Hottie gave stallion Gun Runner another winner as he also sired Early Voting, who won Saturday’s Grade 3 Withers Stakes here.
“The rail got really good the last couple of races, so I was a little worried being wide with her, but she’s a filly that definitely wants to run farther,” McCarthy said. “She’s a bit of a grinder. That last eighth of a mile I was like ‘come on, come on’ but she gave a great effort.”
Davis said he moved his filly a little early because in her maiden win on Jan. 13, “it took her a little while to get going,” Davis said. “That’s a tough way to get beat.”
Morey said he would talk to the owners before deciding where next to run Shotgun Hottie. In New York, the options for 3-year-old fillies include the $250,000 Busher Invitational going a one-turn mile here on March 5 and/or the Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle Stakes going 1 1/8 miles here on April 9.