Virginia Joy makes $2.90 look like an overlay in Sheepshead Bay Stakes
Virginia Joy delivered at short odds Saturday, drawing out to a 14 1/4-length win in the Grade 2, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay, run over yielding turf at Belmont Park. Lucky Money finished second and was six and a half lengths clear of third-place finisher Lovely Lucky.
The 1 3/8 race was run over the inner turf course.
Virginia Joy ($2.90) moved to the lead at the start and proceeded to set fractions of 26.64 for the opening quarter and 54.64 for the half-mile. Lovely Lucky put some pressure on the leader from there, as Virginia Joy continued to take the field through six furlongs in 1:21.03 and a mile and 1:48.33.
She began to separate herself from her rivals and went on to win in hand in 2:30.88.
“That just brightened things up a little bit,” winning rider Trevor McCarthy told the New York Racing Association publicity department on a wet day. “She’s a nice filly and the best filly in the race. There wasn’t a lot of speed in there. I just decided to put her up in the race and take control of the race. She handled the ground half-decent and the others probably didn’t want that kind of ground, so that benefitted her even more."
McCarthy was aboard the Soldier Hollow mare for owner Peter Brant and trainer Chad Brown.
Virginia Joy came into the Sheepshead Bay off a win in the Grade 3 The Very One on March 2 at Gulfstream Park.
She earned $110,000 for the victory Saturday to improve her career record to 5 for 11 for earnings of $435,557.