Street Band Breeders' Cup bound off Cotillion win

BENSALEM, Pa. – When jockey Sophie Doyle got off Street Band after a workout last Monday at Churchill Downs in preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion Stakes, trainer Larry Jones noted that it was slower than the filly typically has breezed.

“She said ‘I know, but Larry, she come home so well, she was so relaxed, I think she’s like how we want her,” Jones recalled Doyle saying. “I said 'If she don’t win, it’s your fault.’"

There was no faulting Doyle on Saturday as she rallied Street Band from last to run by favored Guarana in midstretch on her way to a 2 1/4-length victory in the Cotillion at Parx. Guarana, the even-money favorite coming off Grade 1 wins in the Acorn and Coaching Club American Oaks, finished second by 3 3/4 lengths over Horologist.

Bellafina finished fourth, followed, in order, by Sweet Sami D, Serengeti Empress, Jaywalk, Afleet Destiny, Jeltrin, She Makes Me Smile, and Collegeville Girl.

The win was the first Grade 1 for Doyle, a native of Cambridge England who began riding in North America in 2011.

“My first Grade 1, so I’m absolutely over the moon,” Doyle said. “It’s fantastic.”

Doyle has been the regular rider of Street Band since last November. Saturday was her ninth ride and fourth win on the daughter of Istan owned by Ray Francis; Jones and his wife, Cindy; Medallion Racing; and MyRacehorse.com.

Noting how relaxed Street Band was in that workout and how much speed there was in the Cotillion, Doyle was content to let her filly settle in the back, some 10 lengths off the pace entering the first turn. Jaywalk, last year’s 2-year-old filly champion, was hustled to the lead by Joel Rosario with Bellafina chasing from second, Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress in third, and Guarana outside of her through a quarter-mile in 22.75 seconds and a half-mile in 46.27.

Doyle kept Street Band in the three path and still in the pack before making a move into sixth after six furlongs were run in 1:11.19. Doyle said she was tempted to go inside, but remembered that so many people told her to stay away from the inside part of the track.

Coming to the top of the stretch, Bellafina had put away Jaywalk and Guarana, under Jose Ortiz, was moving after her and struck the front at the quarter pole.

“You could see I hadn’t moved yet when I went to the quarter pole,” Ortiz said.

Doyle had Street Band four wide and on the move and as Guarana was seizing the lead turning for home, Street Band still seemed to be moving better of the two fillies. Street Band forged to the front at the eighth pole and drew clear in the final furlong.

Street Band covered the 1 1/16-miles in 1:44.20 and returned $17.40 as the fifth choice.

“When we were coming down the home turn I was like ‘Come on girl let’s get into it’ and she just really exploded for me, she gave me everything that she’s got,” Doyle, 33, said. “When she came outside Guarana she matched her, she just dug her head down, she was game all the way to the wire.”

Street Band added the Cotillion to earlier victories this year in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks and Grade 3 Indiana Oaks. She was coming off a third-place finish to Dunbar Road in the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga.

The Cotillion victory earned Street Band a fees-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita on Nov. 2 and Larry Jones said that would be her next start.

Guarana suffered her first career defeat in four starts. Her trainer, Chad Brown, said his filly was simply second-best on Saturday.

“Yes, she was close to a real honest pace but I can’t complain about the trip, we had everyone where we wanted them,” Brown said. “She was just second-best today, really.”